February 25, 2022 - 10-K: Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission file number: 001-37351

National Storage Affiliates Trust

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)


Maryland						46-5053858
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)						(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

8400 East Prentice Avenue, 9th Floor

Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

(720) 630-2600

(Registrant's telephone number including area code)

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


Title of each class	Trading symbols	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Shares of Beneficial Interest, $0.01 par value per share	NSA	New York Stock Exchange
Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares of Beneficial Interest, par value $0.01 per share	NSA Pr A	New York Stock Exchange

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

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

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 ☒ 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 ☒ 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 the definitions of "large accelerated filer,"

"accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company" and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large Accelerated Filer

☒

Accelerated Filer

☐

Non-accelerated Filer

☐

Smaller Reporting Company

☐

Emerging Growth Company

☐

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. ☒

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

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common shares of beneficial interest of National Storage Affiliates Trust held by non-affiliates of National Storage Affiliates Trust was approximately $3.9 billion as of June 30, 2021. As of February 24, 2022, 91,394,351 common shares of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value per share, were outstanding.



Documents Incorporated by Reference

Portions of the registrant's definitive proxy statement for its annual meeting of shareholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Auditor Name:

KPMG LLP

Auditor Location:

Denver, Colorado

Auditor Firm ID:

185


NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
	For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2021
Item		Page
PART I
1.	Business	4
1A.	Risk Factors	15
1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments	30
2.	Properties	30
3.	Legal Proceedings	32
4.	Mine Safety Disclosures	32

PART II
5.	Market for the Registrant's Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	33
6.	Selected Financial Data	35
7.	Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	36
7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	54
8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	54
9.	Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	54
9A.	Controls and Procedures	54
9B.	Other Information	55

PART III
10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance	55
11.	Executive Compensation	55
12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters	55
13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence	55
14.	Principal Accounting Fees and Services	56

PART IV
15.	Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules	56
16.	Form 10-K Summary	59

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

National Storage Affiliates Trust and its consolidated subsidiaries (the "Company", "NSA," "we," "our", and "us") make forward-looking statements in this report that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives. When we use the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "may," or similar expressions, we intend to identify forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements contained in this report reflect our current views about future events and are subject to numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and changes in circumstances that may cause our actual results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. One of the most significant factors is the ongoing and potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, the self storage industry and the broader financial markets, which may have a significant negative impact on the Company's financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. The Company is unable to predict whether the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will trigger a further economic slowdown or a recession and to what extent the Company will experience disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, it is difficult to fully assess the impact of COVID-19 at this time due to, among other factors, uncertainty regarding the severity and duration of the outbreak domestically and internationally and uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of federal, state and local governments' efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 and respond to its direct and indirect impact on the U.S. economy and economic activity, including the number and severity of new variants, the rate and level of persons receiving vaccinations and the efficacy of such vaccines. The current COVID-19 pandemic has impacted, and is likely to continue to impact, directly or indirectly, many of the other important factors below and the risks described under Item 1A below, and the Company's subsequent filings under the Exchange Act.

Statements regarding the following subjects, among others, may be forward-looking:

•market trends in our industry, interest rates, the debt and lending markets or the general economy;

•our business and investment strategy;

•the acquisition of properties, including those under contract, and the ability of our acquisitions to achieve underwritten capitalization rates and our ability to execute on our acquisition pipeline;

•the internalization of retiring participating regional operators ("PROs") into the Company;

•the timing of acquisitions;

•our relationships with, and our ability and timing to attract additional, PROs;

•our ability to effectively align the interests of our PROs with us and our shareholders;

•the integration of our PROs and their managed portfolios into the Company, including into our financial and operational reporting infrastructure and internal control framework;

•our operating performance and projected operating results, including our ability to achieve market rents and occupancy levels, reduce operating expenditures and increase the sale of ancillary products and services;

•our ability to access additional off-market acquisitions;

•actions and initiatives of the U.S. federal, state and local government and changes to U.S. federal, state and local government policies and the execution and impact of these actions, initiatives and policies;

•the state of the U.S. economy generally or in specific geographic regions, states, territories or municipalities;

•economic trends and economic recoveries;

•our ability to obtain and maintain financing arrangements on favorable terms;

•general volatility of the securities markets in which we participate;

•the negative impacts from the continued spread of COVID-19 on the economy, the self storage industry, the broader financial markets, the Company's financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and the ability of the Company's tenants to pay rent;

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•changes in the value of our assets;

•projected capital expenditures;

•the impact of technology on our products, operations, and business;

•the implementation of our technology and best practices programs (including our ability to effectively implement our integrated Internet marketing strategy);

•changes in interest rates and the degree to which our hedging strategies may or may not protect us from interest rate volatility;

•impact of and changes in governmental regulations, tax law and rates, accounting guidance and similar matters;

•our ability to continue to qualify and maintain our qualification as a real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes ("REIT");

•availability of qualified personnel;

•the timing of conversions of each series of Class B common units of limited partner interest ("subordinated performance units") in NSA OP, LP (our "operating partnership") and subsidiaries of our operating partnership into Class A common units of limited partner interest ("OP units") in our operating partnership, the conversion ratio in effect at such time and the impact of such convertibility on our diluted earnings (loss) per share;

•the risks of investing through joint ventures, including whether the anticipated benefits from a joint venture are realized or may take longer to realize than expected;

•estimates relating to our ability to make distributions to our shareholders in the future; and

•our understanding of our competition.

The forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account all information currently available to us. Forward-looking statements are not predictions of future events. These beliefs, assumptions, and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us. Readers should carefully review our financial statements and the notes thereto, as well as the sections entitled "Business," "Risk Factors," "Properties," and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," described in Item 1, Item 1A, Item 2 and Item 7, respectively, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the other documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. New risks and uncertainties arise over time, and it is not possible for us to predict those events or how they may affect us. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we are not obligated to, and do not intend to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

PART I

Item 1. Business

General

National Storage Affiliates Trust is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust organized in the state of Maryland on May 16, 2013. We have elected and we believe that we have qualified to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2015. We serve as the sole general partner of our operating partnership subsidiary, NSA OP, LP (our "operating partnership"), a Delaware limited partnership formed on February 13, 2013 to conduct our business, which is focused on the ownership, operation, and acquisition of self storage properties predominantly located within the top 100 metropolitan statistical areas ("MSAs") throughout the United States. As of December 31, 2021, we held ownership interests in and operated a geographically diversified portfolio of 1,050 self storage properties, located in 42 states and Puerto Rico, comprising approximately 67.8 million rentable square feet, configured in approximately

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533,000 storage units. We completed our initial public offering in 2015 and our common shares of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value per share ("common shares"), are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "NSA."

Our executive chairman of the board of trustees and former chief executive officer, Arlen D. Nordhagen, co-founded SecurCare Self Storage, Inc. in 1988 to invest in and manage self storage properties. While growing SecurCare to over 150 self storage properties, Mr. Nordhagen recognized a market opportunity for a differentiated public self storage REIT that would leverage the benefits of national scale by integrating multiple experienced regional self storage operators with local operational focus and expertise. We believe that his vision, which is the foundation of the Company, aligns the interests of our participating regional operators ("PROs"), with those of our public shareholders by allowing our PROs to participate alongside our shareholders in our financial performance and the performance of our PROs' "managed portfolios", which means, with respect to each PRO, the portfolio of properties that such PRO manages on our behalf. A key component of this strategy is to capitalize on the local market expertise and knowledge of regional self storage operators by maintaining the continuity of their roles as property managers.

We believe that our structure creates the right financial incentives to accomplish these objectives. We require our PROs to exchange the self storage properties they contribute to the Company for a combination of OP units and subordinated performance units in our operating partnership or subsidiaries of our operating partnership that issue units intended to be economically equivalent to the OP units and subordinated performance units issued by our operating partnership ("DownREIT partnerships"). OP units, which are economically equivalent to our common shares, create alignment with the performance of the Company as a whole. Subordinated performance units, which are linked to the performance of specific managed portfolios, incentivize our PROs to drive operating performance and support the sustainability of the operating cash flow generated by the self storage properties that they manage on our behalf. Because subordinated performance unit holders receive distributions only after portfolio-specific minimum performance thresholds are satisfied, subordinated performance units play a key role in aligning the interests of our PROs with us and our shareholders. Our structure thus offers PROs a unique opportunity to serve as regional property managers for their managed portfolios and directly participate in the potential upside of those properties while simultaneously diversifying their investment to include a broader portfolio of self storage properties. We believe our structure provides us with a competitive growth advantage over self storage companies that do not offer property owners the ability to participate in the performance and potential future growth of their managed portfolios.

We believe that our national platform has significant potential for continued external and internal growth. We seek to further expand our platform by continuing to recruit additional established self storage operators as well as opportunistically partnering with institutional funds and other institutional investors in strategic joint venture arrangements while integrating our operations through the implementation of centralized initiatives, including management information systems, revenue enhancement, and cost optimization programs. We are currently engaged in preliminary discussions with additional self storage operators and believe that we could add one to three more PROs in addition to the PROs we have currently, which will enhance our existing geographic footprint and allow us to enter regional markets in which we currently have limited or no market share.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, one of our largest PROs, Kevin Howard Real Estate, Inc., d/b/a Northwest Self Storage and its controlled affiliates ("Northwest"), notified us of Northwest's election to retire as one of our PROs effective January 1, 2022. As a result of the retirement, on January 1, 2022, management of our properties in the Northwest managed portfolio was transferred to us and the related Northwest brand name and intellectual property was internalized by us, and we discontinued payment of any supervisory and administrative fees or reimbursements to Northwest. In addition, on January 1, 2022, we issued a non-voluntary conversion notice to convert all subordinated performance units related to Northwest's managed portfolio into OP units. As part of the internalization, most of Northwest's employees were offered and provided employment by us and continue managing the same portfolio of properties as members of our existing property management platform.

Our Property Management Platform

Through our property management platform, we direct, manage and control the day-to-day operations and affairs of certain consolidated properties and our unconsolidated real estate ventures under our iStorage and SecurCare brands and, commencing on January 1, 2022, our Northwest brand. As of December 31, 2021, our property management platform managed and controlled 415 of our consolidated properties and 177 of our unconsolidated real estate venture properties.

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We earn certain customary fees for managing and operating the properties in the unconsolidated real estate ventures and we facilitate tenant insurance and/or tenant warranty protection programs for tenants at these properties in exchange for half of all proceeds from such programs.

Our PROs

The Company had ten PROs as of December 31, 2021: Northwest, Optivest Properties LLC and its controlled affiliates ("Optivest"), Move It Self Storage and its controlled affiliates ("Move It"), Guardian Storage Centers LLC and its controlled affiliates ("Guardian"), Southern Storage Management Systems, Inc. d/b/a Southern Self Storage ("Southern"), Blue Sky Self Storage LLC, a strategic partnership between Argus Professional Storage Management and GYS Development LLC ("Blue Sky"), affiliates of Investment Real Estate Management, LLC d/b/a Moove In Self Storage ("Moove In"), Hide-Away Storage Services, Inc. and its controlled affiliates ("Hide-Away"), Arizona Mini Storage Management Company d/b/a Storage Solutions and its controlled affiliates ("Storage Solutions"), and an affiliate of Shader Brothers Corporation d/b/a Personal Mini Storage ("Personal Mini").

To capitalize on their recognized and established local brands, our PROs continue to function as property managers for their managed portfolios under their existing brands (which include various brands in addition to those discussed below). Over the long-run, we may seek to internalize our PROs and brand or co-brand each location as part of NSA.

•Northwest, which was headquartered in Portland, Oregon, was our PRO responsible for covering the northwest region. Northwest provided property management services to 93 of our properties located in Idaho, Oregon and Washington as of December 31, 2021. Effective January 1, 2022, upon the retirement of Northwest as a PRO, the Company acquired the Northwest brand and internalized the management of the properties formerly managed by Northwest.

•Optivest, which is based in Dana Point, California, is one of our PROs responsible for covering portions of the northeast and southwest regions. Optivest managed 83 of our properties located in Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Texas and Utah as of December 31, 2021. Optivest is run by its co-founder, Warren Allan, who has more than 25 years of financial and operational management experience in the self storage industry and is recognized as a self storage acquisition and development specialist.

•Move It, which is based in Dallas, Texas, is one of our PROs responsible for covering portions of the Texas and southeast markets. Move It managed 72 of our properties located in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas as of December 31, 2021. Move It is led by its founder, Tracy Taylor, who has more than 40 years of experience in self storage development, acquisition and management, and has served on the board of directors for the Large Owners Council of the Self Storage Association and is a former Chairman of the Self Storage Association.

•Guardian, which is based in Irvine, California, is one of our PROs responsible for covering portions of the southern California and southwest regions. Guardian managed 56 of our properties located in Arizona, California and Nevada as of December 31, 2021. Guardian is led by John Minar, who has nearly 40 years of self storage acquisition, rehabilitation, ownership, operations and development experience.

•Southern, which is based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is one of our PROs responsible for covering portions of Arizona and the southeast region, including New Orleans, the Florida Panhandle, southern Georgia and Puerto Rico. Southern managed 43 of our properties in Arizona, Louisiana, the Florida Panhandle, southern Georgia, and Puerto Rico as of December 31, 2021. Southern is led by Bob McIntosh and Peter Cowie, who are active real estate operators with more than 30 years of self storage experience.

•Blue Sky, which is a strategic partnership between Argus Professional Storage Management and GYS Development LLC and is based in the mountain west, is our PRO responsible for covering portions of the southeast, midwest, and southwest regions, including portions of Kansas, Georgia and Texas. Blue Sky managed 35 of our properties in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming as of December 31, 2021. Blue Sky is led by Lee Fredrick, Ben Vestal and Michael Perry, who have extensive experience in acquisition, development and management of self storage properties.

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•Moove In, which is based in York, Pennsylvania, is our PRO responsible for covering portions of the mid-atlantic and midwest regions. Moove In managed 31 of our properties in Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania as of December 31, 2021. Moove In is led by John Gilliland, who currently serves on the board of directors for the Large Owners Council of the Self Storage Association, and a past Chairman of the Self Storage Association.

•Hide-Away, which is based in Sarasota, Florida, is our PRO responsible for covering the western Florida market. Hide-Away managed 24 of our properties in western Florida as of December 31, 2021. Hide-Away is led by its founder, Steve Wilson, one of the early developers of the self storage business, who served for more than 35 years as the President of Hide-Away and its related entities, and is a past Chairman of the Self Storage Association.

•Storage Solutions, which is based in Chandler, Arizona, is our PRO responsible for covering portions of the Arizona and Nevada markets. Storage Solutions managed 11 of our properties in Arizona and Nevada as of December 31, 2021. Storage Solutions is led by its founder, Bill Bohannan, who is one of the largest operators in Phoenix and has more than 35 years of self storage acquisition, development and management experience. Mr. Bohannan is recognized in the industry as a self storage acquisition, development and management specialist.

•Personal Mini, which is based in Orlando, Florida, is our PRO responsible for covering portions of the central Florida market. Personal Mini managed 10 of our properties in central Florida as of December 31, 2021. Personal Mini is led by Marc Smith, a self storage investor who has been involved in all facets of the self storage business. Mr. Smith is a past Chairman of the Self Storage Association, and also previously served as president of the Southeast Region of the Self Storage Association.

We benefit from the local market knowledge and active presence of our PROs, allowing us to build and foster important customer and industry relationships. These local relationships provide attractive off-market acquisition opportunities that we believe will continue to fuel additional external growth.

We believe our structure allows our PROs to optimize their established property management platforms while addressing financial and operational hurdles. Before joining us, our PROs faced challenges in securing low cost capital and had to manage multiple investors and lending relationships, making it difficult to compete with larger competitors, including public REITs, for acquisition and investment opportunities. Our PROs were also limited in their ability to raise growth capital through the sale of assets, a portfolio refinancing, or capital contributions from new equity partners. Serving as our on-the-ground acquisition teams, our PROs now have access to our broader financing sources and lower cost of capital, while our national platform allows them to benefit from economies of scale to drive operating efficiencies in a rapidly evolving, technology-driven industry.

Our Consolidated Properties

We seek to own properties that are well located in high quality sub-markets with highly accessible street access and attractive supply and demand characteristics, providing our properties with strong and stable cash flows that are less sensitive to the fluctuations of the general economy. Many of these markets have multiple barriers to entry against increased supply, including zoning restrictions against new construction and new construction costs that we believe are higher than our properties' fair market value. As of December 31, 2021, we owned a geographically diversified portfolio of 873 self storage properties, located in 39 states and Puerto Rico, comprising approximately 55.1 million rentable square feet, configured in approximately 429,000 storage units. Of these properties, 298 were acquired by us from our PROs, 574 were acquired by us from third-party sellers and one was acquired by us from the 2016 Joint Venture (as defined in Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements in Item 8). A complete listing of, and additional information about, our self storage properties is included in Item 2 of this report.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, we acquired 229 consolidated self storage properties, of which 22 were acquired by us from our PROs and 207 were acquired by us from third-party sellers. The following is a summary of our 2021 consolidated acquisition activity (dollars in thousands):

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	Number of	Number of	Rentable
State	Properties	Units	Square Feet	Fair Value
2021 Acquisitions:
Texas	79	40,515	5,673,865	$	760,959
Georgia	14	7,374	1,043,322	109,034
Alabama	13	6,597	967,969	110,011
Tennessee	12	5,162	701,151	88,557
Pennsylvania	9	3,049	417,848	42,152
Florida	8	3,652	496,935	90,542
Puerto Rico	8	7,921	905,644	174,043
North Carolina	7	4,088	546,292	67,564
Oregon	7	3,579	399,511	92,889
Illinois	6	4,202	426,941	60,858
Indiana	5	2,304	336,237	30,207
Kansas	5	2,643	351,834	37,484
Louisiana	5	1,589	196,210	17,780
Ohio	5	1,887	275,979	26,726
Colorado	4	2,097	253,868	37,993
Kentucky	4	2,409	352,176	40,762
New Hampshire	4	2,070	268,120	45,013
Arkansas	3	1,416	199,345	19,890
California	3	1,437	232,748	30,605
Iowa	3	2,717	363,718	30,480
Massachusetts	3	3,220	304,797	67,481
Maryland	3	1,677	207,087	38,437
Washington	3	1,247	155,082	32,803
Minnesota	2	781	123,470	14,423
Virginia	2	715	90,911	10,838












Other(1)	12	5,627	714,218	97,495
Total	229	119,975	16,005,278	$	2,175,026

(1) Self storage properties in other states acquired during the year ended December 31, 2021 include Arizona, Connecticut, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we acquired 77 consolidated self storage properties, of which 11 were acquired by us from our PROs and 66 were acquired by us from third-party sellers. The following is a summary of our 2020 consolidated acquisition activity (dollars in thousands):

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	Number of	Number of	Rentable
State	Properties	Units	Square Feet	Fair Value
2020 Acquisitions:
Texas	44	18,790	2,566,225	$	306,978
Colorado	5	1,690	224,820	24,746
Florida	3	2,166	256,365	35,702
Oklahoma	3	1,508	222,570	14,193
Georgia	2	764	109,125	8,698
Idaho	2	595	91,962	7,487
Kansas	2	299	102,961	4,941
Oregon	2	709	92,300	13,492
Pennsylvania	2	1,671	198,630	19,187
Washington	2	903	139,290	15,731











Other(1)	10	5,781	742,618	92,177
Total	77	34,876	4,746,866	$	543,332

(1) Self storage properties in other states acquired during the year ended December 31, 2020 include Arizona, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

Our Unconsolidated Real Estate Ventures

We seek to opportunistically partner with institutional funds and other institutional investors to acquire attractive portfolios utilizing a promoted return structure. We believe there is significant opportunity for continued external growth by partnering with institutional investors seeking to deploy capital in the self storage industry.

2018 Joint Venture

As of December 31, 2021, our 2018 Joint Venture (as defined in Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements in Item 8), in which we have a 25% ownership interest, owned and operated 103 self storage properties containing approximately 7.8 million rentable square feet, configured in over 64,000 storage units and located across 17 states.

2016 Joint Venture

As of December 31, 2021, our 2016 Joint Venture (as defined in Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements in Item 8), in which we have a 25% ownership interest, owned and operated a portfolio of 74 properties containing approximately 4.9 million rentable square feet, configured in approximately 40,000 storage units and located across 13 states.

Our Competitive Strengths

We believe our unique PRO structure combined with our property management platform allows us to differentiate ourselves from other self storage operators, and the following competitive strengths enable us to effectively compete against our industry peers:

High Quality Properties in Key Growth Markets. We held ownership interests in and operated a geographically diversified portfolio of 1,050 self storage properties, located in 42 states and Puerto Rico, comprising approximately 67.8 million rentable square feet, configured in approximately 533,000 storage units as of December 31, 2021. Over 70% of our consolidated portfolio is located in the top 100 MSAs, based on our 2021 net operating income ("NOI"). We believe that these properties are primarily located in high quality growth markets that have attractive supply and demand characteristics and are less sensitive to the fluctuations of the general economy. Many of these markets have multiple barriers to entry against increased supply, including zoning restrictions against new construction and new construction costs that we believe are higher than our properties' fair market value. Furthermore, we believe that our significant size and the overall geographic diversification of our portfolio reduces risks associated with specific local or regional economic downturns or natural disasters.

Differentiated, Growth-Oriented Strategy Focused on Established Operators. We are a self storage REIT with a unique structure that supports our differentiated external growth strategy. Our PRO structure appeals to operators who are looking for access to growth capital while maintaining an economic stake in the self storage

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properties that each manages on the Company's behalf. These attributes entice operators to join the Company rather than sell their properties for cash consideration. Through our PRO structure, we seek to attract operators who are confident in the future performance of their properties and desire to participate in the growth of the Company. We have successfully recruited established operators across the United States with a history of efficient property management and a track record of successful acquisitions. Our structure and differentiated strategy have enabled us to build a substantial captive pipeline from existing operators as well as potentially create external growth from the recruitment of additional PROs.

Integrated Platform Utilizing Advanced Technology for Enhanced Operational Performance and Best Practices. Our national platform allows us to capture cost savings through integration and centralization, thereby eliminating redundancies and utilizing economies of scale across the property management platforms of us and our PROs. As compared to a stand-alone operator, our national platform has greater access to lower-cost capital, reduced Internet marketing costs per customer lead, discounted property insurance expense, and reduced overhead costs. In addition, the Company has sufficient scale for various centralized functions, including financial reporting, the operation of call centers, expanding cell tower leasing, a national credit card processing program, marketing, information technology, legal support, and capital market functions, to achieve substantial cost savings over smaller, individual operators.

Our national platform utilizes advanced technology for our data warehouse program, Internet marketing, our centralized call centers, financial and property analytic dashboards, revenue optimization analytics and expense management tools to enhance operational performance. These centralized programs, which are run through our Technology and Best Practices Group, are positively impacting our business performance, and we believe that they will continue to be a driver of organic growth going forward. We will continue to utilize our Technology and Best Practices Group to help us benefit from the collective sharing of key operating strategies among our PROs in areas like human resource management, local marketing and operating procedures and building tenant insurance-related arrangements.

Aligned Incentive Structure with Shareholder Downside Protection. Our structure promotes operator accountability as subordinated performance units issued to our PROs in exchange for the contribution of their properties are entitled to distributions only after those properties satisfy minimum performance thresholds. In the event of a material reduction in operating cash flow, distributions on our subordinated performance units will be reduced before or disproportionately to distributions on our common shares held by our common shareholders. In addition, we expect our PROs will generally co-invest subordinated equity in the form of subordinated performance units in each acquisition that they source from a third-party seller, and the value of these subordinated performance units will fluctuate with the performance of their managed portfolios. Therefore, our PROs are incentivized to select acquisitions that are expected to exceed minimum performance thresholds, thereby increasing the value of their subordinated equity stake. We expect that our shareholders will benefit from the higher levels of property performance that our PROs are incentivized to deliver.

Our Business and Growth Strategies

By capitalizing on our competitive strengths, we seek to increase scale, achieve optimal revenue-producing occupancy and rent levels, and increase long-term shareholder value by achieving sustainable long-term growth. Our business and growth strategies to achieve these objectives are as follows:

Maximize Property Level Cash Flow. We strive to maximize the cash flows at our properties by leveraging the economies of scale provided by our national platform, including through the implementation of new ideas derived from our Technology and Best Practices Group. We believe that our unique PRO structure, centralized infrastructure and efficient national platform will enable us to achieve optimal market rents and occupancy, reduce operating expenses and increase the sale by our PROs of ancillary products and services, including tenant insurance, of which we receive a portion of the proceeds, truck rentals and packing supplies.

Acquire Built-in Captive Pipeline of Target Properties from Existing PROs. We have an attractive, high quality potential acquisition pipeline (our "captive pipeline") of over 130 self storage properties valued at approximately $1.4 billion that will continue to drive our future growth. We consider a property to be in our captive pipeline if it (i) is under a management service agreement with one of our PROs, (ii) meets our property quality criteria, and (iii) is either required to be offered to us under the applicable facilities portfolio management agreement or a PRO has a reasonable basis to believe that the controlling owner of the property intends to sell the property in the next seven years.

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Our PROs have management service agreements with all of the properties in our captive pipeline and hold controlling and non-controlling ownership interests in some of these properties. With respect to each property in our captive pipeline in which a PRO holds a controlling ownership interest, such PRO has agreed that it will not transfer (or permit the transfer of, to the extent possible) any interest in such self storage property without first offering or causing to be offered (if permissible) such interest to us. In addition, upon maturity of the outstanding mortgage indebtedness encumbering such property, so long as occupancy is consistent with or exceeds average local market levels, which we determine in our sole discretion, such PRO has agreed to offer or cause to be offered (if permissible) such interest to us. With respect to captive pipeline properties in which our PROs have a non-controlling ownership interest or no ownership interest, each PRO has agreed to use commercially reasonable good faith efforts to facilitate our purchase of such property. We preserve the discretion to accept or reject any of the properties that our PROs are required to, or elect to, offer (or cause to be offered) to us.

Access Additional Off-Market Acquisition Opportunities. Our PROs and their "on-the-ground" personnel have established an extensive network of industry relationships and contacts in their respective markets. Through these local connections, our PROs are able to access acquisition opportunities that are not publicly marketed or sold through auctions. Our structure incentivizes our PROs to source acquisitions in their markets from third-party sellers and consolidate these properties into the Company. Other public self storage companies generally have acquisition teams located at their central offices, which in many instances are far removed from regional and local markets. We believe our operators' networks and close familiarity with the other operators in their markets provide us clear competitive advantages in identifying and selecting attractive acquisition opportunities.

Recruit Additional New PROs in Target Markets. We intend to continue to execute on our external growth strategy through additional acquisitions and contributions from future PROs in key markets. We believe there is significant opportunity for growth through consolidation of the highly fragmented composition of the market. We believe that future operators will be attracted to our unique structure, providing them with lower cost of capital, better economies of scale, and greater operational and overhead efficiencies while preserving their existing property management platforms. We intend to add one to three additional PROs to complement our existing geographic footprint and to achieve our goal of creating a highly diversified nationwide portfolio of properties focused in the top 100 MSAs. When considering a PRO candidate, we consider various factors, including the size of the potential PRO's portfolio, the quality and location of its properties, its market exposure, its operating expertise, its ability to grow its business, and its reputation with industry participants.

Strategic Joint Venture Arrangements. We intend to continue to opportunistically partner with institutional funds and other institutional investors to acquire attractive portfolios utilizing a promoted return structure. We believe there is significant opportunity for continued external growth by partnering with institutional investors seeking to deploy capital in the self storage industry. We intend to leverage our property management platform to provide property and asset management services for future strategic joint ventures, generating additional operating profits and third party fee income. In addition, we consider the 75% third-party interest in our unconsolidated real estate ventures, which currently own 177 properties, to present a potential acquisition opportunity. This 75% third-party share of gross real estate assets is approximately $1.5 billion based on the historical book value of the joint ventures. Were we to pursue an acquisition of these interests, it could potentially drive our future growth.

Our Financing Strategy

We expect to maintain a flexible approach in financing new property acquisitions. In general, we expect to fund our property acquisitions through a combination of borrowings under bank credit facilities (including term loans and revolving facilities), property-level debt, issuances of OP equity and public and private equity and debt issuances.

As of December 31, 2021, our unsecured credit facility provided for total borrowings of $1.550 billion (the "credit facility"). The credit facility consists of the following components: (i) a revolving line of credit (the "Revolver") which provides for a total borrowing commitment up to $650.0 million, under which we may borrow, repay and re-borrow amounts, (ii) a $125.0 million tranche A term loan facility (the "Term Loan A"), (iii) a $250.0 million tranche B term loan facility (the "Term Loan B"), (iv) a $225.0 million tranche C term loan facility (the "Term Loan C"), (v) a $175.0 million tranche D term loan facility (the "Term Loan D") and (vi) a $125.0 million tranche E term loan facility (the "Term Loan E"). As of December 31, 2021, we had the entire amounts drawn on Term Loan A, Term Loan B, Term Loan C, Term Loan D and Term Loan E and we had $490.0 million of outstanding borrowings under the Revolver, and the capacity to borrow an additional $154.3 million under the Revolver while remaining in compliance with the credit facility's financial covenants. As of December 31, 2021, we

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have an expansion option under the credit facility, which, if exercised in full, would provide for a total credit facility of $1.750 billion.

We have a credit agreement with a syndicated group of lenders for a term loan facility that matures in June 2023 (the "2023 Term Loan Facility") and is separate from the credit facility in an aggregate amount of $175.0 million. As of December 31, 2021 the entire amount was outstanding under the 2023 Term Loan Facility with an effective interest rate of 2.83%. We have an expansion option under the 2023 Term Loan Facility, which, if exercised in full, would provide for total borrowings in an aggregate amount of $400.0 million.

We have a credit agreement with a lender for a term loan facility that matures in December 2028 (the "2028 Term Loan Facility") and is separate from the credit facility and 2023 Term Loan Facility in an aggregate amount of $75.0 million. As of December 31, 2021 the entire amount was outstanding under the 2028 Term Loan Facility with an effective interest rate of 4.62%. We have an expansion option under the 2028 Term Loan Facility, which, if exercised in full, would provide for total borrowings in an aggregate amount up to $125.0 million.

We have a credit agreement with a lender for a term loan facility that matures in April 2029 (the "2029 Term Loan Facility") and is separate from the credit facility, 2023 Term Loan Facility and 2028 Term Loan Facility in an aggregate amount of $100.0 million. As of December 31, 2021 the entire amount was outstanding under the 2029 Term Loan Facility with an effective interest rate of 4.27%.

The credit facility, 2023 Term Loan Facility, 2028 Term Loan Facility, and 2029 Term Loan Facility each contain the same financial covenants and customary affirmative and negative covenants that, among other things, could limit the Company's ability to make distributions or certain investments, incur debt, incur liens and enter into certain transactions.

On August 30, 2019, our operating partnership issued $100.0 million of 3.98% senior unsecured notes due August 30, 2029 (the "2029 Notes") and $50.0 million of 4.08% senior unsecured notes due August 30, 2031 (the "August 2031 Notes") in a private placement to certain institutional investors.

On October 22, 2020, our operating partnership issued $150.0 million of 2.99% senior unsecured notes due August 5, 2030 (the "August 2030 Notes") and $100.0 million of 3.09% senior unsecured notes due August 5, 2032 (the "2032 Notes").

On May 26, 2021, our operating partnership issued $55.0 million of 3.10% senior unsecured notes due May 4, 2033 (the "May 2033 Notes").

On July 26, 2021, our operating partnership issued $35.0 million of 2.16% senior unsecured notes due May 4, 2026 (the "2026 Notes") and $90.0 million of 3.00% senior unsecured notes due May 4, 2031 (the "May 2031 Notes").

On December 14, 2021, our operating partnership issued $75.0 million of 2.72% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2030 (the "November 2030 Notes"), $175.0 million of 2.81% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2031 (the "November 2031 Notes") and $75.0 million of 3.06% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2036 (the "2036 Notes" and together with the 2026 Notes, 2029 Notes, August 2030 Notes, November 2030 Notes, May 2031 Notes, August 2031 Notes, November 2031 Notes, 2032 Notes and May 2033 Notes, the "Senior Unsecured Notes") in a private placement to certain institutional investors.

The Senior Unsecured Notes are subject to customary affirmative and negative covenants that, among other things, limit the Company's ability to make distributions or certain investments, incur debt, incur liens and enter into certain transactions.

We expect to employ leverage in our capital structure in amounts determined from time to time by our board of trustees. Although our board of trustees has not adopted a policy which limits the total amount of indebtedness that we may incur, it will consider a number of factors in evaluating our level of indebtedness from time to time, as well as the amount of such indebtedness that will be either fixed and variable-rate, and in making financial decisions, including, among others, the following:

•the interest rate of the proposed financing;

•the extent to which the financing impacts our flexibility in managing our properties;

•prepayment penalties and restrictions on refinancing;

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•the purchase price of properties we acquire with debt financing;

•our long-term objectives with respect to the financing;

•our target investment returns;

•the ability of particular properties, and the Company as a whole, to generate cash flow sufficient to cover expected debt service payments;

•overall level of consolidated indebtedness;

•timing of debt maturities;

•provisions that require recourse and cross-collateralization;

•corporate credit ratios including debt service coverage, debt to total market capitalization and debt to undepreciated assets; and

•the overall ratio of fixed- and variable-rate debt.

Our indebtedness may be recourse, non-recourse or cross-collateralized. If the indebtedness is non-recourse, the collateral will be limited to the particular properties to which the indebtedness relates. In addition, we may invest in properties subject to existing loans secured by mortgages or similar liens on our properties, or may refinance properties acquired on a leveraged basis. We may use the proceeds from any borrowings to refinance existing indebtedness, to refinance investments, including the redevelopment of existing properties, for general working capital or for other purposes when we believe it is advisable.

Dividend Reinvestment Plan

In the future, we may adopt a dividend reinvestment plan that will permit shareholders who elect to participate in the plan to have their cash dividends reinvested in additional common shares.

Regulation

General

Generally, self storage properties are subject to various laws, ordinances and regulations, including those relating to lien sale rights and procedures, public accommodations, insurance, and the environment. Changes in any of these laws, ordinances or regulations could increase the potential liability existing or created by tenants or others on our properties. Laws, ordinances, or regulations affecting development, construction, operation, upkeep, safety and taxation requirements may result in significant unanticipated expenditures, loss of self storage sites or other impairments to operations, which would adversely affect our cash flows from operating activities.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (the "ADA"), all places of public accommodation are required to meet certain federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. A number of additional U.S. federal, state and local laws may also require modifications to our properties, or restrict certain further renovations of the properties, with respect to access thereto by disabled persons. The ADA or these other laws may also apply to our website. For additional information on the ADA, see "Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Costs associated with complying with the ADA may result in unanticipated expenses."

Insurance activities are subject to state insurance laws and regulations as determined by the particular insurance commissioner for each state in accordance with the McCarran-Ferguson Act, as well as subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the privacy regulations promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission pursuant thereto.

Under various U.S. federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, owners and operators of real estate may be liable for the costs of investigating and remediating certain hazardous substances or other regulated materials on or in such property. The Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended ("CERCLA") and comparable state laws typically impose strict joint and several liabilities without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of such substances or materials. The presence of such substances or materials, or the failure to properly remediate such substances, may adversely affect the owner's or operator's ability to lease, sell or rent such property or to borrow using such property as collateral. Persons who arrange for the disposal or treatment of hazardous substances or other regulated materials may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of such substances at a disposal or treatment facility, whether or not such facility is owned or operated by such person. Certain environmental laws impose liability for release of asbestos-

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containing materials into the air and third-parties may seek recovery from owners or operators of real properties for personal injury associated with asbestos-containing materials. Certain environmental laws also impose liability, without regard to knowledge or fault, for removal or remediation of hazardous substances or other regulated materials upon owners and operators of contaminated property. Moreover, the past or present owner or operator of a property from which a release emanates could be liable for any personal injuries or property damages that may result from such releases, as well as any damages to natural resources that may arise from such releases. Certain environmental laws impose compliance obligations on owners and operators of real property with respect to the management of hazardous materials and other regulated substances. For example, environmental laws govern the management of asbestos-containing materials and lead-based paint. Failure to comply with these laws can result in penalties or other sanctions. In connection with the ownership, operation and management of our current or past properties and any properties that we may acquire and/or manage in the future, we could be legally responsible for environmental liabilities or costs relating to a release of hazardous substances or other regulated materials at or emanating from such property. In order to assess the potential for such liability, we conduct an environmental assessment of each property prior to acquisition and manage our properties in accordance with environmental laws while we own or operate them. We have engaged qualified, reputable and adequately insured environmental consulting firms to perform environmental site assessments of all of our properties prior to acquisition and are not aware of any environmental issues that are expected to materially impact the operations of any property. For additional information on environmental matters and regulation, see "Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Environmental compliance costs and liabilities associated with operating our properties may affect our results of operations."

Property management activities are often subject to state real estate brokerage laws and regulations as determined by the particular real estate commission for each state.

REIT Qualification

We have elected and we believe that we have qualified to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (the "Code"), commencing with our taxable year ended on December 31, 2015. We generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our net taxable income to the extent that we distribute annually all of our net taxable income to our shareholders and maintain our qualification as a REIT. We believe that we have been organized and have operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and we expect that our intended manner of operation will enable us to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT. To qualify, and maintain our qualification, as a REIT, we must meet on a continuing basis, through our organization and actual investment and operating results, various requirements under the Code relating to, among other things, the sources of our gross income, the composition and values of our assets, our distribution levels and the diversity of ownership of our shares. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year and do not qualify for certain statutory relief provisions, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates and may be precluded from qualifying as a REIT for the subsequent four taxable years following the year during which we failed to qualify as a REIT. Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we still may be subject to some U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income or assets. In addition, subject to maintaining our qualification as a REIT, a portion of our business is conducted through, and a portion of our income is earned by, one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries ("TRSs"), which are subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax at regular rates. Distributions paid by us generally will not be eligible for taxation at the preferential U.S. federal income tax rates that currently apply to certain distributions received by individuals from taxable corporations, unless such distributions are attributable to dividends received by us from a TRS.

Competition

We compete with many other entities engaged in real estate investment activities for customers and acquisitions of self storage properties and other assets, including national, regional, and local owners, operators, and developers of self storage properties. We compete based on a number of factors including location, rental rates, security, suitability of the property's design to prospective tenants' needs, and the manner in which the property is operated and marketed. We believe that the primary competition for potential customers comes from other self storage properties within a three to five mile radius. We have positioned our properties within their respective markets as high-quality operations that emphasize tenant convenience, security, and professionalism.

We also may compete with numerous other potential buyers when pursuing a possible property for acquisition, which can increase the potential cost of a project. These competing bidders also may possess greater resources, or have a lower cost of capital, than us and therefore be in a better position to acquire a property. However, our use of

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OP units and subordinated performance units as transactional currency allows us to structure our acquisitions in tax-deferred transactions. As a result, potential targets who are tax-sensitive might favor us as a suitor.

Our primary national competitors in many of our markets for both tenants and acquisition opportunities include local and regional operators, institutional investors, private equity funds, as well as the other public self storage REITs, including Public Storage, CubeSmart, Extra Space Storage Inc. and Life Storage, Inc. These entities also seek financing through similar channels to the Company. Therefore, we will continue to compete for institutional investors in a market where funds for real estate investment may decrease.

Human Capital

We seek to foster a diverse and inclusive work environment that values each individual team member’s talents and contributions, while channeling those efforts toward our common core values of integrity, accountability, humility and compassion. Our success relies on the general professionalism of our and our PRO's site managers and staff which are contributing factors to a site's ability to successfully secure rentals, retain tenants and maintain clean and secure self storage properties. We seek to increase employee retention and well-being and our team members enjoy a robust benefit package that includes medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401K with matching employer contribution and a performance-based bonus incentive plan. We also seek to promote diversity among our employees and management team. As of December 31, 2021, approximately 59% of our employees were women and 32% of our senior management team (Director level and above) were women, including Tamara Fischer, our President, Chief Executive Officer and member of our Board of Trustees.

As of December 31, 2021, we had 1,175 employees, which includes employees of our property management platform but does not include persons employed by our PROs. As of December 31, 2021, our PROs, collectively, had approximately 950 full-time and part-time employees involved in management, operations, and reporting with respect to our self storage property portfolio.

Available Information

We file registration statements, proxy statements, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those statements and reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Investors may obtain copies of these statements and reports by accessing the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Our statements and reports and any amendments to any of those statements and reports that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission are available free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable on our website at www.nationalstorageaffiliates.com. The information contained on our website is not incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "NSA."

Item 1A. Risk Factors

An investment in our common shares involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the following risk factors, together with the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. If any of the risks discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Risks Related to our Business

Adverse economic or other conditions in the markets in which we do business and more broadly associated with the real estate industry could negatively affect our occupancy levels and rental rates and therefore our operating results and the value of our self storage properties.

Our operating results are dependent upon our ability to achieve optimal occupancy levels and rental rates at our self storage properties. Adverse economic or other conditions in the markets in which we do business, particularly in our markets in California, Texas, Florida, Oregon, Georgia, and Arizona, which accounted for approximately 17%, 16%, 10%, 9%, 6%, and 5%, respectively, of our total rental and other property-related revenues for the year ended December 31, 2021, may lower our occupancy levels and limit our ability to maintain or increase rents or require us to offer rental discounts. No single customer represented a significant concentration of our 2021 revenues. However, our property portfolio, consists solely of self storage properties and is therefore subject to risks inherent in investments in a single industry. The following adverse developments, among others, in the markets in which we do business may adversely affect the operating performance of our properties:

•business layoffs or downsizing, industry slowdowns, relocation of businesses and changing demographics;

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•periods of economic slowdown, recession, or inflationary environments, declining demand for self storage generally or in a particular area or the public perception that any of these events may occur;

•local or regional real estate market conditions, such as competing properties or products, the oversupply of self storage, or vacancies or changes in self storage space market rents;

•perceptions by prospective tenants of the safety, convenience and attractiveness of our properties and the neighborhoods in which they are located; and

•other events affecting or shifting consumer discretionary spending.

Any of the above events may reduce our rental revenues, impair our operating results, and reduce our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and make cash distributions to our shareholders, and the effect of the foregoing may be greater than it would be were our investments not limited to a single industry.

We may not be successful in identifying and consummating suitable acquisitions, adding additional suitable new PROs, or integrating and operating such acquisitions, including integrating them into our financial and operational reporting infrastructure and internal control framework in a timely manner, which may impede our growth.

Our ability to expand through acquisitions is integral to our business strategy and requires us to identify suitable acquisition candidates or investment opportunities that meet our criteria and are compatible with our growth strategy. We may not be successful in identifying suitable properties or other assets that meet our acquisition criteria or in consummating acquisitions on satisfactory terms or at all. Failure to identify or consummate acquisitions will slow our growth, which could in turn adversely affect our share price.

For the potential acquisitions in our captive pipeline, we have not entered into negotiations with the respective owners of these properties and there can be no assurance as to whether we will acquire any of these properties or the actual timing of any such acquisitions. Each captive pipeline property is subject to additional due diligence and the determination by us to pursue the acquisition of the property. In addition, with respect to the captive pipeline properties in which our PROs have a non-controlling ownership interest or no ownership interest, the current owner of each property is not required to offer such property to us and there can be no assurance that we will acquire these properties.

Our ability to acquire properties on favorable terms and successfully integrate and operate them, including integrating them into our financial and operational reporting infrastructure in a timely manner, may be constrained by the following significant risks:

•we face competition from national, regional and local owners, operators and developers of self storage properties, which may result in higher property acquisition prices and reduced yields;

•we may not be able to achieve satisfactory completion of due diligence investigations and other customary closing conditions;

•we may fail to finance an acquisition on favorable terms or at all;

•we may spend more time and incur more costs than budgeted to make necessary improvements or renovations to, and to integrate and operate, acquired properties; and

•we may acquire properties subject to liabilities without any recourse, or with only limited recourse, with respect to unknown liabilities such as liabilities for clean-up of undisclosed environmental contamination, tax liabilities, claims by persons dealing with the former owners of the properties and claims for indemnification by general partners, trustees, officers and others indemnified by the former owners of the properties.

The contributors of properties may make limited representations and warranties to us about the properties and may agree to indemnify us up to a specified amount for a certain period of time following the closing for breaches of those representations and warranties. However, any resulting liabilities identified may not fall within the scope or time frame covered by the indemnification, and we may be required to bear those liabilities, which may materially and adversely affect our operating results, financial condition and business.

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We face competition for tenants.

We compete with many other entities engaged in real estate investment activities for tenants, including national, regional and local owners, operators and developers of self storage properties. Actions by our competitors may decrease or prevent increases in the occupancy and rental rates, while increasing the operating expenses of our properties.

Increases in taxes and regulatory compliance costs, including as a result of changes in law or property reassessments, may reduce our income and adversely impact our cash flows.

Increases in income or other taxes generally are not passed through to tenants under leases and may reduce or negatively impact our net income, funds from operations ("FFO"), cash flows, financial condition, ability to pay or refinance our debt obligations, ability to make cash distributions to shareholders, and the trading price of our securities.

In addition, the value of our properties may be reassessed for property tax purposes by taxing authorities including as a result of our acquisition activities. For example, our property taxes could increase due to changes in tax rates or removal of limitations on the amount by which our property taxes or property reassessments may increase. For example, in November 2020, there was an initiative in California, which did not pass, to remove certain limits on annual real estate tax increases of assessed value of real property. To the extent a similar future initiative is successful, it would increase the assessed value and/or tax rates applicable to self storage properties in California. We currently have 86 consolidated properties and 12 unconsolidated properties in California. Accordingly, the amount of property taxes we pay in the future may increase substantially from what we have paid in the past or from what we expected in connection with our underwriting activities, which could adversely impact our operating results, cash flow, and our ability to pay any expected dividends to our shareholders.

Similarly, in response to facing severe budgetary problems, many states and jurisdictions are considering or implementing changes in laws such as increasing sales taxes, increasing the potential liability for environmental conditions existing on properties, increasing the restrictions on discharges or other conditions, or mandating paid family leave for employees, which may result in significant unanticipated expenditures, which could result in similar adverse effects.

Our storage leases are relatively short-term in nature, which exposes us to the risk that we may have to re-lease our units and we may be unable to do so on attractive terms, on a timely basis or at all.

Our storage leases are relatively short-term in nature, typically month-to-month, which exposes us to the risk that we may have to re-lease our units frequently and we may be unable to do so on attractive terms, on a timely basis or at all. Because these leases generally permit the tenant to leave at the end of the month without penalty, our revenues and operating results may be impacted by declines in market rental rates more quickly than if our leases were for longer terms. In addition, any delay in re-leasing units as vacancies arise would reduce our revenues and harm our operating results.

Security breaches through cyber-attacks, cyber-intrusions, or other methods could disrupt our information technology networks and related systems.

We and our PROs are increasingly dependent upon automated information technology processes and Internet commerce, and many of our and their tenants come from the telephone or over the Internet. Moreover, the nature of our and our PROs' business involves the receipt and retention of certain personal information about such tenants. In many cases, we and our PROs also rely significantly on third-party vendors to retain data, process transactions and provide other systems services. Our networks and operations could be disrupted, and sensitive data could be compromised, by physical or electronic security breaches, targeted against us, our PROs, our vendors or other organizations, including financial markets or institutions, including by way of or through cyber-attacks or cyber-intrusions over the Internet, malware, computer viruses, attachments to e-mails, phishing, employee theft or misuse, or inadequate security controls. Although we make efforts to protect the security and integrity of our networks and systems, there can be no assurance that these efforts and measures will be effective or that attempted security breaches or disruptions would not be successful, as such attacks and breaches may be difficult to detect (or not detected at all) and are becoming more sophisticated. In such event, we may experience business interruptions; data loss, ransom, misappropriation, or corruption; theft or misuse of confidential or proprietary information; or litigation and investigation by tenants, governmental or regulatory agencies, or other third parties, which could result in the payment of fines, penalties and other damages. Such events could also have other adverse impacts on us, including

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breaches of debt covenants, other contractual or REIT compliance obligations, or late or misstated financial reports, and significant diversion of management attention and resources. As a result, such events could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and harm our business reputation or have such effects on our PROs.

Costs associated with complying with the ADA may result in unanticipated expenses.

Under the ADA and other federal, state and local laws, we are required to meet certain requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Noncompliance with the ADA could result in the imposition of fines or an award of damages to private litigants and also could result in an order to correct any non-complying feature, which could result in substantial capital expenditures. If one or more of our properties or websites is not in compliance with the ADA or similar laws, then we would be required to incur additional costs to bring the property or websites into compliance. If we incur such costs and they are substantial, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, per share trading price of our common shares and our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to make cash distributions to our shareholders could be adversely affected.

Environmental compliance costs and liabilities associated with operating our properties may affect our results of operations.

Under various U.S. federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations, owners and operators of real estate may be liable for the costs of investigating and remediating certain hazardous substances or other regulated materials on or in such property. No assurances can be given that existing environmental studies with respect to any of our properties reveal all environmental liabilities, that any prior owner or operator of our properties did not create any material environmental condition not known to us, or that a material environmental condition does not otherwise exist as to any one or more of our properties. There also exists the risk that material environmental conditions, liabilities or compliance concerns may have arisen after the review was completed or may arise in the future. Finally, future laws, ordinances or regulations and future interpretations of existing laws, ordinances or regulations may impose additional material environmental liability.

We and certain of our PROs have tenant insurance- and/or tenant protection plan-related arrangements that are in some cases subject to state-specific governmental regulation, which may adversely affect our results.

We and certain of our PROs have tenant insurance- and/or tenant protection plan-related arrangements with regulated insurance companies and our tenants. Some of our PROs earn access fees in connection with these arrangements. We receive a portion of the fees from these PROs. The tenant insurance and tenant protection plan businesses, including the payments associated with these arrangements, are in some cases subject to state-specific governmental regulation. State regulatory authorities generally have broad discretion to grant, renew and revoke licenses and approvals, to promulgate, interpret and implement regulations, and to evaluate compliance with regulations through periodic examinations, audits and investigations of the affairs of insurance industry participants. Although these arrangements are managed by our property management platform and/or certain of our PROs who have developed marketing programs and management procedures to navigate the regulatory environment, as a result of regulatory or private action in any jurisdiction in which we operate, we may be temporarily or permanently suspended from continuing some or all of our tenant insurance- and/or tenant protection plan-related activities, or otherwise fined or penalized or suffer an adverse judgment, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Privacy concerns could result in regulatory changes that may harm our business.

Personal privacy has become a significant issue in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Many jurisdictions in which we operate have imposed or in the future may impose restrictions and requirements on the use of personal information by those collecting such information. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, which became effective as of January 1, 2020, together with the California Privacy Rights Act, provides consumers with expansive rights and control over personal information obtained by or shared with certain covered businesses. Changes to law or regulations or the passage of new laws affecting privacy, if applicable to our business, could impose additional costs and liability on us and could limit our use and disclosure of such information.

We face possible risks and costs associated with the effects of climate change and severe weather.

We cannot predict the rate at which climate change will progress. However, the physical effects of climate change could have a material adverse effect on our properties, operations, and business. To the extent that climate change impacts changes in weather patterns, our markets could experience severe weather, including hurricanes,

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tornados, earthquakes, severe winter storms, wildfires and coastal flooding due to increases in storm intensity and rising sea levels. Over time, these conditions could result in declining demand for storage at our properties or in our inability to operate them at all. Climate change and severe weather may also have indirect effects on our business by increasing the cost of, or decreasing the availability of, property insurance on terms we find acceptable, by increasing the costs of energy, maintenance, repair of fire, water and/or wind damage, and snow removal at our properties.

Changes in federal, state, and local legislation and regulation as well as international pacts or treaties based on concerns about climate change could result in increased capital expenditures on our existing properties (for example, to improve their energy efficiency and/or resistance to severe weather) without a corresponding increase in revenue, which may result in adverse impacts to our net income. In recent years, there have been a number of new legal efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to take other similar actions to combat the effects of climate change, including at the international level and at the U.S. federal, state and local levels. We rely on a limited number of vendors to provide key services, such as the provision of utilities, at certain of our properties. Our business and property operations may be adversely affected if these vendors fail to adequately provide key services at our properties as a result of unanticipated events, including those resulting from climate change. If a vendor fails to adequately provide utilities or other important services, we may experience significant interruptions in service and disruptions to business operations at our properties, incur remediation costs, and become subject to claims and damage to our reputation. There can be no assurance that climate change and severe weather, or the potential impacts of these events on our vendors, will not have a material adverse effect on our properties, operations, or business.

Uninsured losses or losses in excess of our insurance coverage could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flow.

We maintain comprehensive liability, fire, flood, earthquake, wind (as deemed necessary or as required by our lenders), extended coverage and rental loss insurance with respect to our properties. Certain types of losses, however, may be either uninsurable or not economically insurable either in total or in part (due to location or otherwise), such as losses due to earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, riots, acts of war or terrorism. Should an uninsured loss occur, we could lose both our investment in and anticipated profits and cash flow from a property or otherwise be subject to significant liabilities. In addition, if any such loss is insured, we may be required to pay significant amounts on any claim for recovery of such a loss prior to our insurer being obligated to reimburse us for the loss, or the amount of the loss may exceed our coverage for the loss. We currently self-insure a portion of our commercial insurance deductible risk through our captive insurance company. To the extent that our captive insurance company is unable to bear that risk, we may be required to fund additional capital to our captive insurance company or we may be required to bear that loss. As a result, our operating results may be adversely affected.

Illiquidity of real estate investments could significantly impede our ability to respond to adverse changes in the performance of our properties.

Because real estate investments are relatively illiquid and we have agreed and may in the future agree to certain transfer restrictions with respect to our properties, our ability to promptly sell one or more properties in our portfolio in response to changing economic, financial and investment conditions is limited. The real estate market is affected by many factors, such as general economic conditions, availability of financing, interest rates and other factors, including supply and demand, that are beyond our control. We cannot predict whether we will be able to sell any property for the price or on the terms set by us or whether any price or other terms offered by a prospective purchaser would be acceptable to us. We also cannot predict the length of time needed to find a willing purchaser and to close the sale of a property. In addition, we may be required to expend funds to correct defects or to make improvements before a property can be sold. We cannot assure you that we will have funds available to correct those defects or to make those improvements.

Our business could be harmed if key personnel terminate their employment with us.

Our success depends, to a significant extent, on the continued services of Arlen D. Nordhagen, Tamara D. Fischer, David G. Cramer and Brandon S. Togashi and the other members of our senior management team. We have entered into employment agreements with Mr. Nordhagen, Ms. Fischer, Mr. Cramer and Mr. Togashi and these employment agreements provide for an initial one-year term of employment and automatic one-year extensions thereafter unless either party provides at least 90 days' notice of non-renewal. Notwithstanding these agreements, there can be no assurance that any of them will remain employed by us. The loss of services of one or more

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members of our senior management team could harm our business and our prospects. This risk may be heightened during periods of tight labor market conditions.

We invest in strategic joint ventures that subject us to additional risks.

Some of our investments are, and in the future may be, structured as strategic joint ventures. Part of our strategy is to opportunistically partner with institutional funds and other institutional investors to acquire attractive portfolios through a promoted return structure. These arrangements are driven by the magnitude of capital required to complete the acquisitions and maintain the acquired portfolios. Such arrangements involve risks not present where a third party is not involved, including the possibility that partners or co-venturers might become bankrupt or otherwise fail to fund their share of required capital contributions. Additionally, partners or co-venturers might at any time have economic or other business interests or goals different from us and or in competition with us.

Joint ventures generally provide for a reduced level of control over an acquired project because governance rights are shared with others. Accordingly, certain major decisions relating to joint ventures, including decisions relating to, among other things, the approval of annual budgets, sales and acquisitions of properties, financings, and certain actions relating to bankruptcy, are often made by a majority vote of the investors or by separate agreements that are reached with respect to individual decisions. In addition, such decisions may be subject to the risk that the partners or co-venturers may make business, financial or management decisions with which we do not agree or take risks or otherwise act in a manner that does not serve our best interests. Because we may not have the ability to exercise control over such operations, we may not be able to realize some or all of the benefits that we believe will be created from our involvement. At times, we and our partners or co-venturers may also each have the right to trigger a buy-sell arrangement, which could cause us to sell our interest, or acquire our partners' or co-venturers' interest, at a time when we otherwise would not have initiated such a transaction. If any of the foregoing were to occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could suffer as a result.

The current COVID-19 pandemic or the future outbreak of any other highly infectious or contagious diseases, could adversely impact or cause significant disruption to our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We face various risks related to pandemics, epidemics and other outbreaks of highly infectious or contagious diseases, including the current COVID-19 pandemic. In recent months, new COVID-19 variants were discovered, which have spread locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. While these strains do not appear to cause more severe symptoms in individuals, they have spread faster and more easily. As a result, local, state and the U.S. governments and many businesses have reinstated many safety protocols that have been implemented over the last two years. There is no assurance that current or future new variants will be contained, or the recommended safety protocols, including the use of vaccines, will continue to be effective in the long term. As a result of the significant adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to economic activity across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic, and any future outbreak of another disease, could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows due to, among other factors, the following:

• our tenants may be unable to meet their obligations to us in full, or at all, or may seek modifications of such obligations, which could increase uncollectible receivables and cause subsequent reductions in revenue;

• reduced economic activity could result in a prolonged recession, which could negatively impact consumer discretionary spending, a reduction in move-ins at our stores or increase uncollectible receivables;

• governmental or health and safety requirements or recommendations could compel a complete or partial closure of, or other operational issues at, our properties or prohibit us from charging late fees, conducting auctions and increasing prices;

• a general decline in business activity and demand for property acquisitions, expansions, and the addition of new PROs and/or joint venture partners;

• interrupted availability of, including the potential for a negative health impact on, our or our PRO's personnel, could result in a deterioration in our ability to ensure business continuity;

• disruptions in supply chains or the inability of other third-party vendors we rely on to conduct our business to operate effectively and continue to support our business and operations;

• overall efficacy of the vaccines, which remains uncertain as new strains of COVID-19 continue to be discovered;

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• difficulty accessing debt and equity capital on attractive terms, or at all, and severe disruption or instability in the financial markets or a deterioration in credit and financing conditions may affect our access to capital necessary to fund our business; and

• the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including potential decreases in cash from operations resulting therefrom, could negatively impact our future compliance with the financial covenants in our debt agreements and result in a default and potential acceleration of indebtedness, which could negatively impact our ability to make additional borrowings under our revolving credit facility and pay dividends.

The factors described above, as well as additional factors that we may not currently be aware of, could materially negatively impact our ability to collect rent and could lead to termination of leases by tenants, tenant defaults, tenant bankruptcies, decreases in demand for storage space at our properties, difficulties in accessing capital, impairment of our tangible or intangible assets and other impacts that could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, to the extent the COVID-19 pandemic or a future outbreak of another disease adversely affects our business and financial results it may heighten other risks described in the Risk Factors section in the Annual Report.

Risks Related to Our Structure and Our Relationships with Our PROs

Some of our PROs have limited experience operating under our capital structure, and we may not be able to achieve the desired outcomes that the structure is intended to produce.

Some of our PROs have limited experience operating under our capital structure. As a means of incentivizing our PROs to drive operating performance and support the sustainability of the operating cash flow from the properties they manage on our behalf, we issued each PRO subordinated performance units aimed at aligning the interests of our PROs with our interests and those of our shareholders. The subordinated performance units are entitled to distributions exclusively tied to the performance of each PRO's managed portfolios but only after minimum performance thresholds are satisfied. Our issuance of such units, however, may have been and could be based on inaccurate valuations and thus misallocated, which would limit or eliminate the effectiveness of our intended incentive-based program.

We are restricted in making certain property sales on account of agreements with our PROs that may require us to keep certain properties that we would otherwise sell.

The partnership unit designations related to our subordinated performance units provide that, until March 31, 2023, our operating partnership may not sell, dispose or otherwise transfer any property that is a part of the applicable self storage property portfolio relating to a series of subordinated performance units without the consent of the partners (including us) holding at least 50% of the then outstand