UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

Commission File Number 1-10709

PS BUSINESS PARKS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

701 Western Avenue, Glendale, California 91201-2349

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

818-244-8080

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

(Title of class)

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes R No £

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes £ No R

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes R No £

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes R No £

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. £

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. R

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes £ No R

As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $2,651,598,115 based on the closing price as reported on that date.

Number of shares of the registrant’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding as of February 19, 2021 (the latest practicable date): 27,488,684.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, are made throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K. For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “may,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “intends” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of the Company to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: (i) the duration and severity of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic and its impact on our business and our customers; (ii) changes in general economic and business conditions, including as a result of the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic; (iii) potential regulatory actions to close our facilities or limit our ability to evict delinquent customers; (iv) decreases in rental rates or increases in vacancy rates/failure to renew or replace expiring leases; (v) tenant defaults; (vi) the effect of the recent credit and financial market conditions; (vii) our failure to maintain our status as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”); (viii) the economic health of our customers; (ix) increases in operating costs; (x) casualties to our properties not covered by insurance; (xi) the availability and cost of capital; (xii) increases in interest rates and its effect on our stock price; (xiii) security breaches or a failure of our networks, systems or technology could adversely impact our business, customer and employee relationships; and (xiv) other factors discussed under the heading Item 1A, “Risk Factors.” In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that our objectives and plans will be achieved. Moreover, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting such forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

The Company

PS Business Parks, Inc. (“PSB”) is a fully-integrated, self-advised and self-managed REIT that owns, operates, acquires and develops commercial properties, primarily multi-tenant industrial, flex and office space. As of December 31, 2020, PSB owned and operated 27.7 million rentable square feet of commercial space, comprising 98 business parks and 675 buildings located in California, Texas, Virginia, Florida, Maryland, and Washington. PSB focuses on owning concentrated business parks, which provides us with the greatest flexibility to meet the needs of our customers. PSB also held a controlling interest in the following joint venture arrangements, both located in Tysons, Virginia: a 95.0% interest in Highgate at the Mile, a 395-unit multifamily apartment complex, and a 98.2% interest in Brentford at the Mile, a 411-unit multifamily apartment complex development. PSB manages 0.4 million rentable square feet on behalf of Public Storage (“PS”).

Substantially all of PSB’s assets are held, and its business is conducted, through PS Business Parks, L.P. (the “OP”), a California limited partnership. As of December 31, 2020, PSB owned 79.0% of the common partnership units of PS Business Parks, L.P. (the “OP”). The remaining common partnership units are owned by PS. PSB, as the sole general partner of the OP, has full, exclusive and complete responsibility and discretion in managing and controlling the OP. PS also owns 7.2 million common shares and would own 41.6% (or 14.5 million shares) of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock if it redeemed its common partnership units for common shares.

Unless otherwise indicated or unless the context requires otherwise, all references to “the Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” and similar references mean PS Business Parks, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including the OP and our consolidated joint ventures.

History of the Company: The Company was formed in 1990 as a California corporation. Through a series of transactions between January 1997 and March 1998, the Company was renamed “PS Business Parks, Inc.” and became a publicly held, fully integrated, self-advised and self-managed REIT having interests in commercial real estate held through our OP.

Principal Business Activities

We are a commercial property landlord, with 98 business parks consisting of multi-tenant industrial, flex and office space. The Company owns 18.4 million square feet of industrial space that is primarily configured as warehouse space with ample dock access. We own 6.2 million square feet of flex space, representing industrial buildings that are

configured with a combination of warehouse and office space that can be designed to fit a wide variety of use types. The warehouse component of the flex space has a number of uses including light manufacturing and assembly, storage and warehousing, showroom, laboratory, distribution and research and development activities. The office component of flex space is complementary to the warehouse component by enabling businesses to accommodate management and production staff in the same facility. In addition, the Company owns 3.1 million square feet of low-rise office space, generally either in business parks that combine office buildings with industrial and/or flex buildings or in submarkets where the market demand is more office focused.

We generally seek to own and operate multi-tenant buildings in multi-building business parks which accommodate various businesses and uses. Our business parks average 14 buildings and 0.8 million rentable square feet per park, located on parcels of various sizes, ranging from 1 to 49 buildings and 12,000 to 3.5 million square feet of rentable space. Parking at most of our parks is open but in some instances is covered. The ratio of parking spaces to rentable square feet generally ranges from two to six per thousand square feet depending upon the use of the property and its location. Office space generally requires a greater parking ratio than most industrial uses.

The customer base for our facilities is diverse. For certain operational performance metrics, we bifurcate our facilities into those with average unit sizes over 5,000 square feet and those with average unit sizes under 5,000 square feet given that the nature of the customer base and use types differ between the two, which can result in varying performance. Approximately 35.9% of in-place rents as of December 31, 2020 were derived from customers at properties with average unit sizes under 5,000 square feet. The remaining 64.1% of in-place rents came from customers at properties with average unit sizes over 5,000 square feet. The Company also has several customers that lease space in multiple buildings and locations. As of December 31, 2020, the U.S. Government is the largest customer with 21 separate leases encompassing approximately 657,000 square feet and 3.8% of the Company’s annualized rental income.

We operate in six states and we may expand our operations to other states or reduce the number of states in which we operate. Properties are acquired for both income and capital appreciation potential, and we place no limitation on the amount that can be invested in any specific property.

The Company owns approximately 14.0 acres and 6.4 acres of land in Dallas and Northern Virginia, respectively, which are reflected on our consolidated balance sheets as land and building held for development. The Company will seek to develop these parcels and possibly seek redevelopment of other assets in the future.

During 2020, we developed an 83,000 square foot shallow-bay industrial building at our Freeport Business Park in Irving, Texas, on 4.0 of the 14.0 acres located in the Dallas submarket. As of December 31, 2020, $7.8 million of the estimated $8.1 million total development costs had been incurred and was reflected under land and building held for development, net on our consolidated balance sheets. The remaining $0.3 million of development cost was incurred subsequent to December 31, 2020 and construction was completed in January 2021.

See “Objectives and Strategies” below for further information.

Our principal executive offices are located at 701 Western Avenue, Glendale, California 91201-2349, and our telephone number is (818) 244-8080. We maintain a website with the address www.psbusinessparks.com. The information contained on our website is not a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We make available free of charge through our website our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish such material to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

Recent Company Developments

Acquisition of Real Estate Facilities: On October 28, 2020, we acquired a multi-tenant industrial park comprising approximately 246,000 rentable square feet in Alexandria, Virginia, for a total purchase price of $46.6 million, inclusive of capitalized transaction costs. The park consists of three buildings and was 100.0% occupied at acquisition with suites ranging from 7,000 to 75,000 square feet.

On January 10, 2020, we acquired a multi-tenant industrial park comprising approximately 73,000 rentable square feet in La Mirada, California, for a total purchase price of $13.5 million, inclusive of capitalized transaction costs. The park consists of five buildings and was 100.0% occupied at acquisition with suites ranging from 1,200 to 3,000 square feet.

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Development of Multifamily Real Estate: In 2019, we successfully rezoned our 44.5 acre office and multifamily park, known as The Mile, located in Tysons, Virginia. The rezoning will allow us to develop, at our election, up to 3,000 additional multifamily units and approximately 500,000 square feet of other commercial uses. We leveraged the expertise of a well-regarded local developer and operator of multifamily real estate to develop our first multifamily development at The Mile, a 395-unit multifamily property known as Highgate at The Mile, which completed in 2017. In August 2020, the Company entered into a new joint venture agreement with the same well-regarded local developer for the purpose of developing our second multifamily property, Brentford at The Mile, a planned 411-unit multifamily apartment complex. Construction of Brentford at The Mile commenced in August 2020 and is anticipated to be completed over a period of 24 to 36 months at an estimated development cost of $110 million to $115 million, excluding land cost. There could be several phases of the development at The Mile beyond that, but the scope, timing and construction of all future phases of development of The Mile are subject to a variety of uncertainties, including site plan approvals and building permits. See “Objectives and Strategies” below for further information regarding our development and redevelopment activities.

Sales of Real Estate Facilities: On September 16, 2020, the Company sold two industrial buildings totaling 40,000 square feet located in Redmond, Washington, which were subject to an eminent domain process for net proceeds of $11.4 million, which resulted in a gain on sale of $7.7 million.

On January 7, 2020, the Company completed the sale of a single-tenant building totaling 113,000 square feet in Montgomery County, Maryland, for net sale proceeds of $29.3 million, which resulted in a gain on sale of $19.6 million.

Tax and Corporate Structure

For all periods presented herein, we have elected REIT status under the Code. For each taxable year in which we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our “REIT taxable income” (generally, taxable income subject to specified adjustments, including a deduction for dividends paid and excluding our net capital gain) that is distributed to our shareholders. We believe we have met these requirements in all periods presented herein, and we expect to continue to qualify as a REIT.

PSB is structured as an umbrella partnership REIT (“UPREIT”), with substantially all of our activities conducted through the OP. We acquired interests in certain properties from PS during PSB’s initial formation in exchange for operating partnership units, which allowed PS to defer the recognition of a tax gain on the contributed properties.

We are the sole general partner of the OP, which has equity in the form of common partnership units and preferred partnership units. As of December 31, 2020, we owned 79.0% of the common partnership units of the OP and 100% of the preferred partnership units. The remainder of the common partnership units are owned by PS. The common units owned by PS may be redeemed, subject to certain limitations, for shares of our common stock on a one-for-one basis or, at our option, an equivalent value in cash.

The Company’s interest in the OP entitles it to share in cash distributions from, and the profits and losses of, the OP in proportion to the Company’s economic interest in the OP (apart from tax allocations of profits and losses to take into account pre-contribution property appreciation or depreciation). The Company, since 1998, has paid per share dividends on its common and preferred stock that track, on a one-for-one basis, the amount of per unit cash distributions the Company receives from the OP in respect of the common and preferred partnership units in the OP that are owned by the Company.

As the general partner of the OP, the Company has the exclusive responsibility under the Operating Partnership Agreement to manage and conduct the business of the OP.

Common Officers and Directors with PS

Ronald L. Havner, Jr., Chairman of the Company, is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of PS. Joseph D. Russell, Jr. is a director of the Company and also President and Chief Executive Officer of PS. Kristy M. Pipes, an independent director of the Company, is also a trustee of PS and Gary E. Pruitt, an independent director of the Company, was also a trustee of PS until he retired from the Board of Trustees of PS in January 2021. Other employees of PS render services to the Company pursuant to a cost sharing and administrative services agreement.
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Services Provided to and by PS

We manage industrial, office, and retail facilities in the United States for PS under either the “Public Storage” or “PS Business Parks” names (the “PS Management Agreement”). Under PS’s supervision, we coordinate and assist in rental and marketing activities, property maintenance and other operational activities, including the selection of vendors, suppliers, employees and independent contractors. Management fee revenue derived from the PS Management Agreement totaled $0.3 million, $0.3 million, and $0.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018, respectively. These amounts are included in “interest and other income” on our consolidated statements of income.

PS also provides property management services for the self-storage component of two assets owned by the Company. Management fee expenses under the contract were $0.1 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018. These amounts are included under “cost of operations” on our consolidated statements of income.

Pursuant to a cost sharing agreement, we share certain administrative services, corporate office space, and certain other third party costs with PS which are allocated based upon fair and reasonable estimates of the cost of the services expected to be provided. We reimbursed PS $1.2 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 for costs paid on our behalf, while PS reimbursed us less than $0.1 million for costs we incurred on their behalf for each of the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018.

Management

John W. Petersen, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), and Chief Operating Officer of the Company, leads the Company’s senior management team. The Company’s senior management includes: Jeffrey D. Hedges, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; Trenton A. Groves, Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer; Coby A. Holley, Vice President, Investments; Christopher M. Auth, Divisional Vice President (Washington Metro Division); Stuart H. Hutchison, Divisional Vice President (Southern California and Pacific Northwest Divisions); Richard E. Scott, Divisional Vice President (Northern California Division); David A. Vicars, Divisional Vice President (Texas Division); Rich Guertin, Divisional Vice President (Florida Division); and Eugene Uhlman, Vice President, Construction Management.

Competition

Our properties compete for tenants with similar properties located in our markets primarily on the basis of location, rental rate, services provided and the design and condition of improvements. Competition in the market areas we operate in is significant and has from time to time negatively impacted occupancy levels and rental rates of, and increased the operating expenses of, certain of our properties. The demand for space in our markets is impacted by general economic conditions, which can affect the local competition for tenants. Sublease space and unleased developments have from time to time created competition among operators in certain markets in which the Company operates. Refer to “Management Discussion and Analysis—Analysis of Net Income” for a discussion of trends in our occupancy levels, rental rates and operating expenses.

Objectives and Strategies

Our primary objective is to grow shareholder value in a risk appropriate and stable manner by maximizing net cash flow generated by our existing properties, as well as prudently seeking opportunities for growth through acquisitions and development with attractive risk-adjusted returns on invested capital.

We seek to maximize net cash flow of our existing properties by optimizing occupancy levels and rental rates, while minimizing capital expenditures and leasehold improvements. Below are the primary elements of our strategy:

Concentration in favorable markets: We believe that our properties generally are located in markets that have favorable characteristics such as above average population, job, and income growth, as well as high education levels. In addition, we believe our business parks are generally in markets with higher than average barriers to entry that are close to critical infrastructure, middle to high income housing or universities and have easy access to major transportation arteries. We believe that these characteristics contribute to property operating cash flow stability and growth.

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Standard build outs and finishes: We generally seek to configure our rentable space with standard buildouts and finishes that meet the needs of a wide variety of tenants, minimizing the need for specialized and costly tenant improvements and enabling space to be “move-in ready” quickly upon vacancy. We believe this makes our space more attractive to potential tenants, allows tenants to move in quickly and seamlessly, and reduces the cost of capital improvements, relative to real estate operators that offer specialized finishes or build outs. Also, such flexibility facilitates our ability to offer diverse sizes and configurations to meet potential customer’s needs, as well as to change space sizes for existing customers when their needs change.

Large, Diverse Parks: Our business parks are generally concentrated in large complexes of diverse buildings, with a variety of available space sizes and configurations that we can offer to tenants. We believe that this allows us to attract a greater number of potential tenants to our parks and minimizes the loss of existing customers when their space requirements change.

Smaller tenants and diverse tenant base with shorter-term leases: By concentrating on smaller spaces, we seek to reach a large number of smaller tenants in the market. We believe this focus gives us a competitive edge as most institutional owners focus primarily on large users. Small users perceive more incremental value from the level of customer service that we offer. We also believe having smaller tenants improves our diversity of tenants across industries, which improves the stability of our cash flows. In addition, our lease term tends to be short, generally an average of three and a half years, which we believe allows us to more quickly capture increases in market rents in our high-growth markets. At December 31, 2020, our average suite size was approximately 5,000 rentable square feet and we had only four customers – the U.S. Government, Amazon Inc., KZ Kitchen Cabinet & Stone, and Luminex Corporation – representing more than 1% of our annualized rental income.

Decentralized operating strategy: Our local management teams are empowered, within a prescribed decision and metrics framework, to make many leasing and capital decisions in a manner which we believe maximizes the return on investment on lease transactions. We believe this decentralized approach allows us to be more nimble and efficient in our decision making, and more effectively price and market our space, relative to a more centralized approach.

Superior Service to Customers: We seek to provide a superior level of service to our customers in order to maintain occupancy and increase rental rates, as well as minimize customer turnover. The Company’s property management offices are located on-site, helping the Company maintain its properties and providing customers with convenient access to management, while conveying a sense of quality, order and security. We believe that our personnel are among the most experienced and effective real estate professionals in our markets. The Company has significant experience in acquiring properties managed by others and thereafter improving customer satisfaction, occupancy levels, retention rates and rental income by implementing established customer service programs.

In addition, we seek to expand through acquisitions or development activities that generate attractive returns on invested capital, as follows:

Acquire facilities in targeted markets at prudent price levels: We have a disciplined capital allocation approach, seeking to purchase properties at prices that are not in excess of the cost to develop similar facilities (i.e. replacement cost), which we believe reduces our risk and maximizes long term returns. We seek generally to acquire in our existing markets, which we believe have favorable growth characteristics. We also believe acquiring in our existing markets leverages our operating efficiencies. We would consider expanding to additional markets with similar favorable characteristics of our existing markets, if we could acquire sufficient scale.

Redevelop existing real estate facilities: Certain of our existing business parks were developed in or near areas that have been undergoing gentrification with an influx of residential development, and, as a result, certain buildings in our business parks may have higher and better uses. We will seek to identify potential candidates for redevelopment within our portfolio, and where appropriate will leverage the expertise and scale of existing operators and developers should we pursue redevelopment of any of our properties. For example, at The Mile in Tysons, Virginia, we demolished an existing building and developed Highgate at The Mile, a 395-unit apartment building, with a joint venture partner. In 2019, we successfully rezoned the remainder of The Mile, allowing us to pursue the development of additional multifamily and mixed use projects. In 2020, we demolished a vacant office building and began developing our second multifamily property, Brentford at The Mile, a planned 411-unit multifamily apartment complex with the same joint venture partner. There can be no assurance as to the level of additional redevelopment opportunities throughout our portfolio in the future.

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Financing Strategy

Overview of financing strategy and sources of capital: As a REIT, we generally distribute all of our “REIT taxable income” to our shareholders each year, which relative to a taxable C corporation, limits the amount of cash flow from operations that we can retain for investment purposes. As a result, in order to expand our asset base, access to capital is important.

Our financial profile is characterized by strong credit metrics, including low leverage relative to our total capitalization and operating cash flows. Our credit profile and ratings enable us to effectively access both the public and private capital markets to raise capital. We will seek to maintain our current credit profile and ratings.

Sources of capital available to us include retained cash flow, the issuance of preferred and common equity, the issuance of medium and long-term debt, joint venture financing, the sale of existing properties, and borrowing off our revolving line of credit.

Historically, we have financed our cash investment activities primarily with retained operating cash flow and the issuance of preferred equity.

We select from the sources of capital available to us based upon relative cost, availability, desired leverage levels, nature of the investment opportunities for which the capital will be used, as well as other factors such as the impact of covenants in the case of debt.

Retained Operating Cash Flow: Although we are required to distribute to our shareholders at least 90% of our “REIT taxable income” each year, we have nonetheless been able to retain operating cash flow to the extent that our tax depreciation exceeds our capital expenditures. In recent years, we have retained between $40 to $60 million in operating cash flow per year.

Preferred Equity: We view preferred equity as an important source of capital over the long term. We have historically favored preferred equity as a source of capital due to the low interest rate and refinancing risk as the dividend rate is fixed for life and it never matures. In addition, the consequences of defaulting on required preferred distributions are less severe than with debt. However, rates and market conditions for the issuance of preferred securities can be volatile or inefficient from time to time. As of December 31, 2020, we have $944.8 million in preferred securities outstanding with an average coupon rate of 5.10%.

Medium or long-term debt: In addition to borrowing from our revolving line of credit, we may seek to issue term debt in the future in an effort to diversify our sources of capital. We may consider issuance in the public bond market or private placement of senior unsecured debt depending on the nature and timing of the associated use of capital.

Common equity: We believe that the market for our common equity is liquid and, as a result, common equity is a viable potential source of capital.

Tax advantaged equity: As noted above, we have the ability to offer common or preferred operating partnership units with economic characteristics that are similar to our common and preferred stock, but provide the seller the opportunity to defer the recognition of a tax gain.

Credit Facility: We have a $250.0 million unsecured revolving line of credit (the “Credit Facility”), which we use from time to time as temporary financing, along with short-term bank loans when necessary, until we are able to replace it with longer-term capital. As of December 31, 2020, there was no balance outstanding on our Credit Facility and we had no short-term bank loans.

Investments in Real Estate Facilities

As of December 31, 2020, the Company owned and operated 27.7 million rentable square feet comprising 98 business parks in six states compared to 27.6 million rentable square feet comprising 97 business parks in six states as of December 31, 2019. The Company also held a 95.0% interest in a 395-unit multifamily apartment complex as of both December 31, 2020 and 2019, and a 98.2% interest in a 411-unit multifamily apartment complex development as of December 31, 2020.

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Restrictions on Transactions with Affiliates

The Company’s Restated Bylaws provide that the Company may engage in transactions with affiliates provided that a purchase or sale transaction with an affiliate is (i) approved by a majority of the Company’s independent directors and (ii) fair to the Company based on an independent appraisal or fairness opinion.

Insurance

The Company believes that its properties are adequately insured. Facilities operated by the Company have historically been covered by comprehensive insurance, including fire, earthquake, wind damage and liability coverage from nationally recognized carriers, subject to customary deductibles.

Compliance with Government Regulations

We are subject to various laws, ordinances and regulations, including various federal, state and local regulations that apply generally to the ownership of real property and the operation of such properties. These include various laws and government regulations concerning environmental matters, labor matters and employee safety and health matters. Further, all of our properties must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and with related regulations, which generally requires that buildings be made accessible to persons with disabilities. Various state laws impose similar requirements. In addition, we must operate our properties in compliance with numerous local fire and safety regulations, building codes, zoning requirements and other land use regulations. We are not aware of any government regulations that have resulted or that we expect will result in compliance costs that had or will have a material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position. See “We must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, fire and safety regulations and zoning requirements, which can require significant expenditures” in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for further information regarding our risks related to government regulations. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, our properties and our customers have been subject to public-health regulations that have impacted our operations and our business. See “We are subject to risks from the COVID-19 pandemic and we may in the future be subject to risks from other public health crises.” in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for further information regarding these regulations. We are also subject to the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), which amends and expands the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). The CPRA, which goes into effect on January 1, 2023, provides new rights and amends existing rights found in the CCPA and also creates a new privacy enforcement authority, the California Privacy Protection Agency (“CalPPA”). The CPRA grants the Attorney General and the CalPPA the authority to issue regulations on a wide range of topics. We are not aware of any current privacy requirements that have resulted or that we expect will result in compliance costs that had or will have a material effect on our business practices that could increase costs or reduce revenues. Other states have also considered or are considering privacy laws similar to those passed in California. Similar laws may be implemented in other jurisdictions that we do business in and in ways that may be more restrictive than those in California. See “We are subject to laws and governmental regulations and actions that affect our operating results and financial condition.” in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for further information regarding our risks related to this regulation.

We are committed to a long-term environmental stewardship program that reduces emissions of hazardous materials into the environment and the remediation of identified existing environmental concerns, including environmentally-friendly capital initiatives and building and operating properties with a high structural resilience and low obsolescence. We accrue environmental assessments and estimated remediation costs when it is probable that such efforts will be required and the related costs can be reasonably estimated. Our current practice is to conduct environmental investigations in connection with property acquisitions. Although there can be no assurance, we are not aware of any environmental contamination of any of our facilities, which individually or in the aggregate would be material to our overall business, financial condition, or results of operations. Compliance with laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment, including those regarding the discharge of material into the environment, has not had any material effect upon the capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position of the Company. See “We may incur significant environmental remediation costs” in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for further information regarding our risks related to government regulations.

Human Capital Management

The Company’s human capital management objectives are to attract, retain, and develop the highest quality talent. To support these objectives, the Company develops its employees to prepare them for critical roles and leadership positions for the future and fosters a team-oriented culture aimed at making the workplace more engaging and inclusive. The Company works to acquire talent and facilitate internal talent mobility to create a high-performing and diverse workforce that is empowered to make thoughtful decisions, eager to collaborate, and motivated to provide a high level of service to our customers. The Company employed 155 people as of December 31, 2020, comprised

primarily of personnel engaged in property operations. Our Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee oversees our sustainability efforts, including our environmental, social, and governance initiatives.

Diversity and Inclusion: At PSB, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where all employees feel valued, included, and excited to be part of our team. For example, we strive to include a subset of diverse candidates as we seek to fill open positions. With team members from all different races, backgrounds, and life experiences, we celebrate inclusion and value the diversity each person brings to PSB. Our employee population is approximately 50% female, with 30% in a supervisory role, and approximately 43% have self-identified as Hispanic or Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander, Asian, Black or African American, or of two or more races, with 24% in a supervisory role. Our workforce also has generational diversity: 54% millennials (aged 24-42), 25% generation X (aged 43-54), and 21% baby boomers (aged 55-73).

Compensation Policies: PSB believes in aligning employee compensation with our short- and long-term performance goals and to provide compensation and incentives needed to attract, motivate, and retain employees who are crucial to our success. We tailor our compensation programs to each employee group to ensure competitiveness in the market and to drive employee engagement. The Company provides the opportunity for employees to own a part of the Company through equity grants for senior members of our team, with nearly 65% of our exempt employees having received equity grants in the form of restricted stock units or stock option awards.

Health and Wellness: PSB is committed to its employees’ overall health and well-being. We want to help them feel happy, healthy, socially connected, and purposeful. Our goal is to provide tools and resources to help empower our employees to explore what they need and to evaluate for themselves what makes sense in achieving a healthy and balanced lifestyle. We partner with our health care provider to promote health and wellness programs to incentivize our employees to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.

We provide benefits to all of our employees and dependents, including medical, dental, vision, flexible and health savings accounts, and income protection plans. We also offer a 401(k) plan with matching employer contributions to help our employees prepare for retirement.

Supporting Our Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The COVID-19 pandemic brought varying challenges to each of our team members. We took a multipronged approach in providing resources, tools and added protocols that focused on the safety of employees and their families while still allowing us to support the customers we serve during these unprecedented times. For example, our field operations and business park protocols were quickly modified to ensure a safe workspace. Additionally, we had a swift transition to work-from-home for our entire workforce, where applicable, by utilizing various existing technology platforms and implementing new technologies necessary to accommodate the situation. We provided additional incentive pay for certain personnel. Additionally, we provided an employee assistance program, which offers employees mental health, financial, and legal support to assist them in their well-being during these unique times.

Training, Development, and Recognition: We hire and develop outstanding team members to lease and manage all of our properties and deliver market-leading service to our customers. Our decentralized, vertically integrated platform gives us the flexibility to meet the needs of our customers, react quickly to local market dynamics, and contain operating expenses and capital expenditures, and allows us to keep all property management and leasing activity in-house, maximize cost efficiencies, and speed up decision making.

We offer training programs for new team members and ongoing training and development programs for our entire workforce. We are able to accomplish this, in part, by utilizing an online platform that provides a central repository for accessing training courses and reference materials. We also reinforce our Company culture by celebrating major accomplishments, stand-out performances, and individual milestones through various recurring recognition programs and events throughout the year, and offer incentive programs designed to recognize and reward outstanding achievements. We work towards development of our employees and creating opportunities for them to advance. For example, where and when possible, we seek to fill open positions with internal candidates.

Communication and Engagement: Given our decentralized platform, it is important for us to ensure that team members feel they are informed and included. We communicate through various channels such as recurring meetings, frequent email communications and updates from management, Company intranet postings, and engagement surveys. Employee engagement is instrumental in understanding and evaluating the effectiveness of our strategies. We actively solicit input from our employees on how the Company can better achieve its goals, including through employee surveys that give us feedback and help us measure commitment, motivation and engagement.

Community and Social Impact: We encourage employees to give back to our communities by providing two “volunteer” days to all employees annually which can be used by participating in group volunteer events or individually. We also offer a charitable gift matching program, providing a donation match up to the preset limit per employee annually to qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

In addition to the other information in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, you should consider the risks described below that we believe may be material to investors in evaluating the Company. This section contains forward-looking statements, and in considering these statements, you should refer to the qualifications and limitations on our forward-looking statements that are described in Item 1, “Business.”

Risks Related to Our Business

We have significant exposure to real estate risk.

Since our business consists primarily of acquiring, developing, and operating real estate, we are subject to risks related to the ownership and operation of real estate that can adversely impact our business and financial condition. Certain significant costs, such as mortgage payments, real estate taxes, insurance and maintenance, generally are not reduced even when a property’s rental income is reduced. In addition, environmental and tax laws, interest rate levels, the availability of financing and other factors may affect real estate values and property income. Furthermore, the supply of commercial space fluctuates with market conditions.

Since we derive substantially all our income from real estate operations, we are subject to the following general risks of acquiring and owning real estate related assets that could result in reduced revenues, increased expenses, increased capital expenditures, or increased borrowings, which could negatively impact our operating results, cash flow available for distribution or reinvestment and our stock price:

changes in the national, state and local economic climate and real estate conditions, such as oversupply of or reduced demand for commercial real estate space and changes in market rental rates;

how prospective tenants perceive the attractiveness, convenience and safety of our properties;

difficulties in consummating and financing acquisitions and developments on advantageous terms and the failure of acquisitions and developments to perform as expected;

our ability to provide adequate management, maintenance and insurance;

natural disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, hurricanes and floods, which could exceed the aggregate limits of our insurance coverage;

the consequences of changes in climate, including severe weather events, and the steps taken to prevent climate change, could result in increased capital expenditures and expenses

the expense of periodically renovating, repairing and re-letting spaces;

the impact of environmental protection laws;

compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations;

increasing operating and maintenance costs, including property taxes, insurance and utilities, if these increased costs cannot be passed through to customers;

the result of a future California statewide ballot initiative (or similar legislative or regulatory actions) that could remove the property tax protections of Proposition 13 with respect to our California real estate and result in substantial increases in our California property tax bills;

adverse changes in tax, real estate and zoning laws and regulations;

increasing competition from other commercial properties in our market;

 
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tenant defaults and bankruptcies;

tenants’ right to sublease space; and

concentration of properties leased to non-rated private companies with uncertain financial strength.

There is significant competition among commercial property operators: Other commercial properties compete with our properties for tenants. Some of the competing properties may be newer and better located than our properties. Competition in the market areas in which many of our properties are located is significant and has affected our occupancy levels, rental rates and operating expenses. We also expect that new properties will be built in our markets. In addition, we compete with other buyers, some of which are larger than us, for attractive commercial properties. Therefore, we may not be able to grow as rapidly as we would like.

We may encounter significant delays and expense in re-letting vacant space, or we may not be able to re-let space at existing rates, in each case resulting in losses of income: When leases expire, we may incur expenses in retrofitting space and we may not be able to re-lease the space on the same terms. Certain leases provide customers with the right to terminate early if they pay a fee. As of December 31, 2020, 2,133 leases, representing 5.7 million, or 22.1%, of the leased square footage of our total portfolio, or 21.8% of annualized rental income, are scheduled to expire in 2021. While we have estimated our cost of renewing leases that expire in 2021, our estimates could be wrong. If we are unable to re-lease space promptly, if the terms are significantly less favorable than anticipated or if the costs are higher, our operating results, cash available for distribution or reinvestment and stock price could be negatively impacted.

Tenant defaults and bankruptcies may reduce our cash flow and distributions: We may have difficulty collecting from customers in default, particularly if they declare bankruptcy. Since many of our customers are non-rated private companies, this risk may be enhanced. There is inherent uncertainty in a customer’s ability to continue paying rent if they are in bankruptcy. This could negatively affect our operating results, cash available for distribution or reinvestment and stock price.

Natural disasters or terrorist attacks could cause damage to our facilities that is not covered by insurance, and could increase costs, reduce revenues, and otherwise impair our operating results: While we maintain insurance coverage for the losses caused by earthquakes, fire or hurricanes, we could suffer uninsured losses or losses in excess of our insurance policy limits for such occurrences. Approximately 40.7% of our properties are located in California and are generally in areas that are subject to risks of earthquake-related damage. In the event of an earthquake, fire, hurricane or other natural disaster, we would remain liable on any mortgage debt or other unsatisfied obligations related to that property. In addition, we may not have sufficient insurance coverage for losses caused by a terrorist attack, or such insurance may not be available or cost-effective. Significant natural disasters, terrorist attacks, threats of future terrorist attacks, or resulting wider armed conflict could have negative impacts on the U.S. economy, reducing demand for our rental space and impairing our operating results, even if our specific losses were covered. This could negatively affect our operating results, cash available for distribution or reinvestment and stock price.

Consequences of climate change, including severe weather events, and the steps taken to prevent climate change, could result in increased capital expenditures, increased expenses, and reduced revenues: Direct and indirect impacts of climate change, such as increased destructive weather events, fires, reduced lifespans and population reduction, reduced natural habitats, water, food, arable land, and other resources, as well as resulting armed conflicts, could increase our costs. Governmental, political, and societal pressure could (i) require costly changes to future newly developed facilities, or require retrofitting of our existing facilities, to reduce carbon emissions through multiple avenues including changes to insulation, space configuration, lighting, heating, and air conditioning, and (ii) increase energy costs as a result of switching to less carbon-intensive, but more expensive, sources of energy to operate our facilities.

The illiquidity of our real estate investments may prevent us from adjusting our portfolio to respond to market changes: There may be delays and difficulties in selling real estate. Therefore, we cannot easily change our portfolio when economic conditions change. In addition, when we sell properties at significant gains upon sale, it can increase our distribution requirements, thus making it difficult to retain and reinvest the sales proceeds. Also, REIT tax laws may impose negative consequences if we sell properties held for less than two years.

We may be adversely affected by changes in laws: Increases in income and service taxes may reduce our cash flow and ability to make expected distributions to our shareholders. Additionally, any changes in the tax law applicable to REITs may adversely affect taxation of us and/or our shareholders. Our properties are also subject to various federal, state and local regulatory requirements, such as state and local fire and safety codes. If we fail to comply with these requirements, governmental authorities could fine us or courts could award damages against us. We believe our

properties comply with all significant legal requirements. However, these requirements could change in a way that could negatively affect our operating results, cash available for distribution or reinvestment and stock price.

We may incur significant environmental remediation costs: As an owner and operator of real properties, under various federal, state and local environmental laws, we are required to clean up spills or other releases of hazardous or toxic substances on or from our properties. Certain environmental laws impose liability whether or not the owner or buyer knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of the hazardous or toxic substances. In some cases, liability may not be limited to the value of the property. The presence of these substances, or the failure to properly remediate any resulting contamination, whether from environmental or microbial issues, also may adversely affect our ability to sell, lease, operate, or encumber our facilities.

We have conducted preliminary environmental assessments of most of our properties (and conduct these assessments in connection with property acquisitions) to evaluate the environmental condition of, and potential environmental liabilities associated with, our properties. These assessments generally consist of an investigation of environmental conditions at the property (including soil or groundwater sampling or analysis if appropriate), as well as a review of available information regarding the site and publicly available data regarding conditions at other sites in the vicinity. In connection with these property assessments, our operations and recent property acquisitions, we have become aware that prior operations or activities at some properties or from nearby locations have or may have resulted in contamination to the soil or groundwater at these properties. In circumstances where our environmental assessments disclose potential or actual contamination, we may attempt to obtain indemnifications and, in appropriate circumstances, we obtain limited environmental insurance in connection with the properties acquired, but we cannot assure you that such protections will be sufficient to cover actual future liabilities nor that our assessments have identified all such risks. Although we cannot provide any assurance, based on the preliminary environmental assessments, we are not aware of any environmental contamination of our facilities material to our overall business, financial condition or results of operations.

There has been an increasing number of claims and litigation against owners and managers of rental properties relating to moisture infiltration, which can result in mold or other property damage. When we receive a complaint concerning moisture infiltration, condensation or mold problems and/or become aware that an air quality concern exists, we implement corrective measures in accordance with guidelines and protocols we have developed with the assistance of outside experts. We seek to work proactively with our customers to resolve moisture infiltration and mold-related issues, subject to our contractual limitations on liability for such claims. However, we can give no assurance that material legal claims relating to moisture infiltration and the presence of, or exposure to, mold will not arise in the future.

Any such environmental remediation costs or issues, including any potential ongoing impacts on rent or operating expenses, could negatively impact our operating results, cash flow available for distribution or reinvestment and our stock price.

Operating costs, including property taxes, could increase: We could be subject to increases in insurance premiums, property or other taxes, repair and maintenance costs, payroll, utility costs, workers compensation, and other operating expenses due to various factors such as inflation, labor shortages, commodity and energy price increases, weather, changes to governmental safety and real estate use limitations, as well as other governmental actions. Our property tax expense, which totaled $47.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, generally depends upon the assessed value of our real estate facilities as determined by assessors and government agencies, and accordingly could be subject to substantial increases if such agencies changed their valuation approaches or opinions or if new laws are enacted, especially if new approaches are adopted or laws are enacted that result in increased property tax assessments in states or municipalities where we have a high concentration of facilities.

We have exposure to increased property tax in California: Approximately $128.3 million of our 2020 net operating income is from our properties in California, and we incurred approximately $17.0 million in related property tax expense. Due to the impact of Proposition 13, which generally limits increases in assessed values to 2% per year, the assessed value and resulting property tax we pay is significantly less than it would be if the properties were assessed at current values. From time to time proposals have been made to reduce the beneficial impact of Proposition 13, particularly with respect to commercial and industrial (non-residential) real estate. An initiative was on California’s November 2020 statewide ballot (“Prop 15”) that would have resulted in the reassessment of our California properties and would substantially increase our property tax expense likely starting in 2023. Prop 15 did not pass; however, there can be no assurance that a similar initiative will not be proposed and passed in the future. If a similar initiative or a similar proposal were to be adopted, it would end the beneficial effect of Proposition 13 for our properties, and our property tax expense could increase substantially, adversely affecting our cash flow from operations and net income.

We must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, fire and safety regulations and zoning requirements, which can require significant expenditures: All of our properties must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and with related regulations (the “ADA”). The ADA has separate compliance requirements for “public accommodations” and “commercial facilities,” but generally requires that buildings be made accessible to persons with disabilities. Various state laws impose similar requirements. A failure to comply with the ADA or similar state laws could lead to government imposed fines on us and/or litigation, which could also involve an award of damages to individuals affected by the non-compliance. In addition, we must operate our properties in compliance with numerous local fire and safety regulations, building codes, zoning requirements and other land use regulations, all of which are subject to change and could become more costly to comply with in the future. The cost of compliance with these requirements can be substantial, and could reduce cash otherwise available for distribution to shareholders. Failure to comply with these requirements could also affect the marketability and rentability of our real estate facilities.

We incur liability from customer and employment-related claims: From time to time we have to make monetary settlements or defend actions or arbitration to resolve customer or employment-related claims and disputes. Settling any such liabilities could negatively impact our earnings and cash available for distribution to shareholders, and could also adversely affect our ability to sell, lease, operate, or encumber affected facilities.

Our development of real estate can subject us to certain risks: We are engaged in significant real estate development. For example, as of December 31, 2020, we have a 98.2% interest in a 411-unit multifamily apartment complex development and in 2019 we successfully rezoned the remainder of The Mile and are able to pursue the development of additional multifamily and mixed use projects. We are also considering the potential redevelopment of other facilities in our portfolio. Development or redevelopment of facilities are subject to a number of risks, including construction delays, complications in obtaining necessary zoning, occupancy and other governmental permits, cost overruns, failures of our development partners, financing risks, and the possible inability to meet expected occupancy and rent levels. In addition, we do not have experience in multifamily development and are relying to some degree on the experience of our joint venture partner. As a result of these risks, our development projects may be worth less or may generate less revenue than we believed at the time of development. Any of the foregoing risks could negatively impact our operating results, cash flow available for distribution or reinvestment and our stock price. In addition, we may be unable to successfully integrate and effectively manage the properties we develop, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

We are subject to risks from the COVID-19 pandemic and we may in the future be subject to risks from other public health crises.

Beginning in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread globally, including to every state in the United States, adversely affecting public health and economic activity. Our business is subject to risks from the COVID-19 pandemic, including, among others:

illness or death of our employees or customers, negative impacts to the economic environment and to our customers which could reduce the demand for commercial property space or reduce our ability to collect rent, or potential regulatory action to close certain of our facilities that were determined not to be an “essential business” or for other reasons, limit our ability to complete development and redevelopment projects;

risk that government restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic ease, such as social distancing requirements, will continue or will be reinstituted in case of future waves of infection or if additional pandemics occur;

risk that the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could reduce consumer confidence and result in an elevated level of move-outs of our long-term customers, resulting in a reduction in rental income due to occupancy reductions and increased “rent roll down” due to new customers having lower rental rates than departing customers; and

risk of negative impacts on the cost and availability of debt and equity capital as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which could have a material impact upon our capital and growth plans.

We believe that the degree to which the COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacts our business, operating results, cash flows and/or financial condition will be driven primarily by the duration, spread and severity of the pandemic itself, the speed and effectiveness of vaccine and treatment developments and distribution, as well as the duration of indirect economic impacts such as recession, dislocation in capital markets, and job loss, as well as potential longer term changes in consumer behavior, all of which are uncertain and difficult to predict. As a result, we are not able at this time to estimate the effect of these factors on our business, but the adverse impact on our business, results of

operations, financial condition and cash flows could be material. Future pandemics or public health crises could have similar impacts.

Economic conditions can adversely affect our business, financial condition, growth and access to capital.

Economic conditions in the areas we operate, capital markets, global economic conditions, and other events or factors could adversely affect rental demand for our real estate, our ability to grow our business and acquire new facilities, to access capital, as well as the value of our real estate. Such conditions, which could negatively impact our operating results, cash flow available for distribution or reinvestment and our stock price, include the following:

Commercial credit markets: Our results of operations and share price are sensitive to volatility in the credit markets. From time to time, the commercial real estate debt markets experience volatility as a result of various factors, including changing underwriting standards by lenders and credit rating agencies. This may result in lenders increasing the cost for debt financing, which could affect the economic viability of any acquisition or development activities we may undertake or otherwise increase our costs of borrowing. Conversely, to the extent that debt becomes cheaper or underwriting terms become more favorable, it could increase the overall amount of capital being invested in real estate, allowing more competitors to bid for facilities that we may wish to acquire, reducing the potential yield from acquisitions or preventing us from acquiring assets we might otherwise wish to acquire.

Capital markets: The issuance of perpetual preferred securities historically has been a significant source of capital to grow our business, and we have considered issuing unsecured debt publicly or in private transactions. We also consider issuance of our common equity a potential source of capital. Our ability to access these sources of capital can be adversely affected by challenging market conditions, which can increase the cost of issuance of preferred equity and debt, and reduce the value of our common shares, making such sources of capital less attractive or not feasible. We believe that we have sufficient working capital and capacity under our credit facilities and our retained cash flow from operations to continue to operate our business as usual and meet our current obligations. However, if we were unable to issue public equity or borrow at reasonable rates, that could limit the earnings growth that might otherwise result from the acquisition and development of real estate facilities.

Asset valuations: Market volatility makes the valuation of our properties difficult. There may be significant uncertainty in the valuation, or in the stability of the value, of our properties, which could result in a substantial decrease in the value of our properties. As a result, we may not be able to recover the carrying amount of our properties, which may require us to recognize an impairment charge in earnings. Reductions in the value of our assets could result in a reduction in the value of our common shares.

Potential negative impacts upon demand for our space and customers’ ability to pay: We believe that our current and prospective customers are susceptible to global and local economic conditions as well as the impact of capital markets, asset valuations, and commercial credit markets, which could result in an impairment of our customers’ existing business operations or curtail plans for growth. Such impairment could reduce demand for our rental space, or make it difficult for customers to fulfill their obligations to us under their leases.

The acquisition of existing properties is a significant component of our long-term growth strategy, and acquisitions of existing properties are subject to risks that may adversely affect our growth and financial results.

We acquire existing properties, either in individual transactions or portfolios offered by other commercial real estate owners. In addition to the general risks related to real estate described above, we are also subject to the following risks associated with the acquisition of real estate facilities which could negatively impact our operating results, cash flow available for distribution or reinvestment and our stock price:

Due diligence could be insufficient: Failure to identify all significant circumstances or conditions that affect the value, rentability, or costs of operation of an acquired facility, such as unidentified structural, environmental, zoning, or marketability issues, could jeopardize realization of anticipated earnings from an acquisition and negatively impact our operating results.

We could fail to successfully integrate acquired properties into our platform: Failures to integrate acquired properties into our operating platform, such as a failure to maintain existing relationships with customers due to changes in processes, standards, customer service, could temporarily or permanently impair our operating results.

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We compete with other real estate operators for facilities: We face significant competition for suitable acquisition properties from other real estate investors, including other publicly traded real estate investment trusts and private institutional investors. As a result, we may be unable to acquire additional properties we desire or the purchase price for desirable properties may be significantly increased, reducing potential yields from acquisitions.

Acquired properties are subject to property tax reappraisals, which occur following the acquisition and can be difficult to estimate: Facilities that we acquire are subject to property tax reappraisal, which can substantially increase ongoing property taxes. The reappraisal process is subject to a significant degree of uncertainty, because it involves the judgment of governmental agencies regarding real estate values and other factors. In connection with underwriting future or recent acquisitions of properties, if our estimates of property taxes following reappraisal are too low, we may not realize anticipated earnings from an acquisition.

We are subject to laws and governmental regulations and actions that affect our operating results and financial condition.

Our business is subject to regulation under a wide variety of U.S. federal, state and local laws, regulations and policies including those applicable to our status as a REIT, and those imposed by the SEC, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), as well as applicable local, state and national labor laws. Although we have policies and procedures designed to comply with applicable laws and regulations, failure to comply with the various laws and regulations may result in civil and criminal liability, fines and penalties, increased costs of compliance and restatement of our financial statements and could also affect the marketability of our real estate facilities.

In response to current economic conditions or the current political environment or otherwise, laws and regulations could be implemented or changed in ways that adversely affect our operating results and financial condition, such as legislation that could otherwise increase operating costs. Such changes could also adversely affect the operations of our customers, which could affect the price and demand for our space as well as our customer’s ability to pay their rent.

On November 3, 2020, Californians passed a ballot measure that creates the CPRA. The CPRA amends and expands the CCPA, which went into effect on January 1, 2020. The CPRA, which goes into effect on January 1, 2023, provides new rights and amends existing rights found in the CCPA. It also creates a new privacy enforcement authority, the CalPPA. The CPRA grants the Attorney General and the CalPPA the authority to issue regulations on a wide range of topics. It therefore remains unclear what, if any, modifications will be made to the CPRA or how it will be interpreted. While we believe we have developed processes to comply with current privacy requirements, a regulatory agency may not agree with certain of our implementation decisions, which could subject us to litigation, regulatory actions or changes to our business practices that could increase costs or reduce revenues. Other states have also considered or are considering privacy laws similar to those passed in California. Similar laws may be implemented in other jurisdictions that we do business in and in ways that may be more restrictive than those in California, increasing the cost of compliance, as well as the risk of noncompliance, on our business.

Ineffective succession planning for our CEO and executive management, as well as for our other key employees, may impact the execution of the Company’s strategic plan.

We may not effectively or appropriately identify ready-now succession candidates for CEO and executive management team, which may negatively impact the Company’s ability to meet key strategic goals. Failure to implement a succession plan for other key employees may leave the Company vulnerable to retirements and turnover.

We rely on technology in our operations and failures, inadequacies or interruptions to our service could harm our business.

The execution of our business strategy is heavily dependent on the use of technologies and systems, including the Internet, to access, store, transmit, deliver and manage information and processes. We rely extensively on third-party vendors to retain data, process transactions and provide other systems services. The failure, damage or interruption of these systems, including as a result of power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, hackers, computer worms, viruses and other destructive or disruptive security breaches, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and other catastrophic events could significantly and have a material adverse effect on our business.

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If our confidential information is compromised or corrupted, including as a result of a cybersecurity breach, our reputation and business relationships could be damaged, which could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

In the ordinary course of our business we acquire and store sensitive data, including personally identifiable information of our prospective and current customers and our employees. The secure processing and maintenance of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. Although we believe we have taken commercially reasonable steps to protect the security of our confidential information, information security risks have generally increased in recent years due to the rise in new technologies and the increased sophistication and activities of perpetrators of cyberattacks. Despite our security measures, we have experienced security breaches due to cyberattacks and additional breaches could occur in the future. In these cases, our information technology and infrastructure could be vulnerable and our or our customers’ or employees’ confidential information could be compromised or misappropriated. Any such breach could result in serious and harmful consequences for us or our customers.

Our confidential information may also be compromised due to programming or human error or malfeasance. We must continually evaluate and adapt our systems and processes to address the evolving threat landscape, and therefore there is no guarantee that they will be adequate to safeguard against all data security breaches or misuses of data. In addition, as the regulatory environment related to information security, data collection and use, and privacy becomes increasingly rigorous, with new and changing requirements applicable to our business from multiple regulatory agencies at the local, state, federal, or international level, compliance with those requirement could also result in additional costs, or we could fail to comply with those requirements due to various reasons such as not being aware of them.

Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, regulatory penalties, disruption to our operations and the services we provide to customers or damage our reputation, any of which could adversely affect our results of operations, reputation and competitive position. In addition, our customers could lose confidence in our ability to protect their personal information, which could cause them to discontinue leasing our facilities. Such events could lead to lost future revenues and adversely affect our results of operations and could result in remedial and other costs, fines or lawsuits, which could be in excess of any available insurance that we have procured.

Risks Related to Our Ownership, Organization and Structure

We would incur adverse tax consequences if we failed to qualify as a REIT and we would have to pay substantial U.S. federal corporate income taxes.

REITs are subject to a range of complex organizational and operational requirements. A qualifying REIT does not generally incur U.S. federal corporate income tax on its “REIT taxable income” (generally, taxable income subject to specified adjustments, including a deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gain) that it distributes to its shareholders. We believe we have qualified as a REIT and we intend to continue to maintain our REIT status.

However, there can be no assurance that we qualify or will continue to qualify as a REIT, because of the highly technical nature of the REIT rules, the ongoing importance of factual determinations, the possibility of unidentified issues in prior periods, or changes in our circumstances, as well as share ownership limits in our articles of incorporation that do not necessarily ensure that our shareholder base is sufficiently diverse for us to qualify as a REIT. For any year we fail to qualify as a REIT, unless certain relief provisions apply (the granting of such relief could nonetheless result in significant excise or penalty taxes), we would not be allowed a deduction for dividends paid, we would be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our taxable income, and generally we would not be allowed to elect REIT status until the fifth year after such a disqualification. Any taxes, interest, and penalties incurred would reduce our cash available for distributions to shareholders and could negatively affect our stock price. However, for years in which we failed to qualify as a REIT, we would not be subject to REIT rules that require us to distribute substantially all of our taxable income to our shareholders.

Even if we qualify as a REIT, we may face other tax liabilities that reduce our cash flow.

Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain U.S. federal, state and local taxes, including payroll taxes, taxes on any undistributed income, taxes on income from some activities conducted as a result of a foreclosure, a 100% excise tax on any transactions with a Taxable REIT Subsidary (“TRS”) that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis, and state or local income, franchise, property and transfer taxes. Moreover, if we have net income from the sale of properties that are “dealer” properties (a “prohibited transaction” under the Code), that income will be subject to a 100% penalty tax. In addition, our TRSs will be subject to U.S. federal, state and local corporate

income taxes on their net taxable income, if any. Any of these taxes would reduce our cash available for distributions to shareholders and could negatively affect our stock price.

We may need to borrow funds to meet our REIT distribution requirements.

As a REIT, we are required to distribute at least 90% of our “REIT taxable income” (determined before the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gains) to our shareholders each year. Our income consists primarily of our share of our OP’s income. We intend to make sufficient distributions to qualify as a REIT and otherwise avoid corporate tax. However, differences in timing between income and expenses and the need to make nondeductible expenditures such as capital improvements and principal payments on debt could force us to borrow funds to make necessary shareholder distributions. Future dividend levels are not determinable at this time.

Changes in tax laws could negatively impact us.

The United States Treasury Department and Congress frequently review U.S. federal income tax legislation, regulations and other guidance. We cannot predict whether, when or to what extent new U.S. federal tax laws, regulations, interpretations or rulings will be adopted. Any legislative action may prospectively or retroactively modify our tax treatment and, therefore, may adversely affect taxation of us or our shareholders.

PS has significant influence over us.

As of December 31, 2020, PS owned 7.2 million shares of the Company’s common stock and 7.3 million common units of the OP (100.0% of the common units not owned by the Company). Assuming issuance of the Company’s common stock upon redemption of its partnership units, PS would own 41.6% (or 14.5 million shares) of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock at December 31, 2020. In addition, the PS Business Parks name and logo are owned by PS and licensed to the Company under a non-exclusive, royalty-free license agreement. The license can be terminated by either party for any reason with six months written notice. Ronald L. Havner, Jr., the Company’s chairman, is also Chairman of Trustees of PS. Joseph D. Russell, Jr. is a director and former Chief Executive Officer of the Company and also President and Chief Executive Officer of PS. Kristy M. Pipes, an independent director of the Company, is also a trustee of PS and Gary E. Pruitt, an independent director of the Company, was also a trustee of PS until he retired from the Board of Trustees of PS in January 2021. Consequently, PS has the ability to significantly influence all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including electing directors, changing our articles of incorporation, dissolving and approving other extraordinary transactions such as mergers, and all matters requiring the consent of the limited partners of the OP. PS’s interest in such matters may differ from other shareholders. In addition, PS’s ownership may make it more difficult for another party to take over or acquire our Company without PS’s approval, even if favorable to our public shareholders.

Provisions in our organizational documents may prevent changes in control.

In certain circumstances, shareholders might desire a change of control or acquisition of us in order to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price of our shares or for other reasons. However, current provisions of our articles of incorporation and the powers of our Board could prevent, deter, or delay such a transaction, including (1) restrictions on the acquisition of our shares, (2) the power to issue additional common stock, preferred stock or equity stock on terms approved by the Board without obtaining shareholder approval and (3) the advance notice provisions of our bylaws.

Our articles generally prohibit any person from owning more than 7% of our shares: Our articles of incorporation restrict the number of shares that may be owned by any “person,” and the partnership agreement of our OP contains an anti-takeover provision. No shareholder (other than PS and certain other specified shareholders) may own more than 7% of the outstanding shares of our common stock, unless our Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) waives this limitation. We imposed this limitation to avoid, to the extent possible, a concentration of ownership that might jeopardize our ability to qualify as a REIT. This limitation, however, also makes a change of control much more difficult (if not impossible). These provisions will prevent future takeover attempts not supported by PS even if a majority of our public shareholders consider it to be in their best interests, such as to receive a premium for their shares over market value or for other reasons.

Our Board can set the terms of certain securities without shareholder approval: Our Board is authorized, without shareholder approval, to issue up to 50.0 million shares of preferred stock and up to 100.0 million shares of equity stock, in each case in one or more series. Our Board has the right to set the terms of each of these series of stock. Consequently, the Board could set the terms of a series of stock that could make it difficult (if not impossible) for another party to take over our Company even if it might be favorable to our public shareholders. Our articles of

incorporation also contain other provisions that could have the same effect. We can also cause our OP to issue additional interests for cash or in exchange for property.

The partnership agreement of our OP restricts our ability to enter into mergers: The partnership agreement of our OP generally provides that we may not merge or engage in a similar transaction unless either the limited partners of our OP are entitled to receive the same proportionate consideration as our shareholders, or 60% of the OP’s limited partners approve the merger. In addition, we may not consummate a merger unless the matter is approved by a vote of the OP’s partners, with our interests in the OP voted in proportion to the manner in which our shareholders voted to approve the merger. These provisions have the effect of increasing PS’s influence over us due to PS’s ownership of operating partnership units. These provisions may make it more difficult for us to merge with another entity.

The interests of limited partners of our OP may conflict with the interests of our common stockholders.

Limited partners of our OP, including PS, have the right to vote on certain changes to the partnership agreement. They may vote in a way that is against the interests of our shareholders. Also, as general partner of our OP, we are required to protect the interests of the limited partners of the OP. The interests of the limited partners and of our shareholders may differ.

We depend on external sources of capital to grow our Company.

As a REIT, we are required to distribute at least 90% of our “REIT taxable income” (determined before the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gains) to our shareholders each year. Because of this distribution requirement, we may not be able to fund future capital needs, including any necessary building and tenant improvements, from operating cash flow. Consequently, we may need to rely on third-party sources of capital to fund our capital needs. We may not be able to obtain the financing on favorable terms or at all. Access to third-party sources of capital depends, in part, on general market conditions, the market’s perception of our growth potential, our current and expected future earnings, our cash flow, and the market price per share of our common stock. If we cannot obtain capital from third-party sources, we may not be able to acquire properties when strategic opportunities exist, satisfy any debt service obligations, or make cash distributions to shareholders.

Risks Related to Our Preferred Stock

Holders of depositary shares, each representing 1/1,000 of a share of our outstanding preferred stock, have dividend, liquidation and other rights that are senior to the rights of the holders of shares of our common stock.

Holders of our shares of preferred stock are entitled to cumulative dividends before any dividends may be declared or set aside on our common stock. Upon liquidation, before any payment is made to holders of our common stock, shares of our preferred stock are entitled to receive a liquidation preference of $25,000 per share (or $25.00 per depositary share) plus any accrued and unpaid distributions before any payment is made to the common shareholders. These preferences may limit the amount received by our common shareholders for ongoing distributions or upon liquidation. In addition, our preferred stockholders have the right to elect two additional directors to our Board whenever dividends are in arrears in an aggregate amount equivalent to six or more quarterly dividends, whether or not consecutive.

Preferred Shareholders are subject to certain risks.

Holders of our preferred shares have preference rights over our common shareholders with respect to liquidation and distributions, which give them some assurance of continued payment of their stated dividend rate, and receipt of their principal upon liquidation of the Company or redemption of their securities. However, holders of our preferred shares should consider the following risks:

The Company has in the past, and could in the future, issue or assume additional debt. Preferred shareholders would be subordinated to the interest and principal payments of such debt, which would increase the risk that there would not be sufficient funds to pay distributions or liquidation amounts to the preferred shareholders.

The Company has in the past, and could in the future, issue additional preferred shares that, while pari passu to the existing preferred shares, increases the risk that there would not be sufficient funds to pay distributions to the preferred shareholders.

While the Company has no plans to do so, if the Company were to lose its REIT status or no longer elect REIT status, it would no longer be required to distribute its taxable income to maintain REIT status. If, in such a

circumstance, the Company ceased paying dividends, unpaid distributions to the preferred shareholders would continue to accumulate. The preferred shareholders would have the ability to elect two additional members to serve on our Board until the arrearage was cured. The preferred shareholders would not receive any compensation (such as interest) for the delay in the receipt of distributions, and it is possible that the arrearage could accumulate indefinitely.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

As of December 31, 2020, we owned 98 business parks and 675 buildings in a geographically diverse portfolio of 27.7 million rentable square feet of commercial real estate which consists of 18.4 million square feet of industrial space, 6.2 million square feet of flex space, and 3.1 million square feet of office space. The weighted average occupancy rate for these assets throughout 2020 was 91.9% and the realized rent per square foot was $16.03.

The following table reflects the geographical diversification of the 98 business parks owned by the Company as of December 31, 2020, the type of rentable square footage and the weighted average occupancy rates throughout 2020 (except as set forth below, all of the properties are held fee simple) (in thousands, except number of business parks):

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⁽¹⁾The Company owns two properties comprising 231,000 square feet that are subject to ground leases in Irving, Texas. These leases expire in 2029 and 2030.

Along with the 27.7 million rentable square feet of commercial space, we also have a 95.0% interest in a 395-unit multifamily apartment complex and a 98.2% interest in a 411-unit multifamily apartment complex development.

We currently anticipate that each of our properties will continue to be used for its current purpose. However, we will from time to time evaluate our properties from a highest and best use perspective, and may identify higher and better uses for our real estate. We renovate our properties in connection with the re-leasing of space to customers and expect to fund the costs of such renovations generally from rental income.

Competition exists in each of the market areas in which our properties are located, and we have risks that customers could default on leases and declare bankruptcy. We believe these risks are mitigated in part through the Company’s geographic diversity and our diverse customer base.

Please refer to Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for portfolio information with respect to lease expirations and operating results in 2020, 2019, and 2018 by region and by type of rentable space.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS