4. INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

2017 Acquisitions

During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company acquired six stores located throughout the United States, including two stores upon completion of construction and the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $69.5 million. In connection with these acquisitions, the Company allocated a portion of the purchase price to the tangible and intangible assets acquired based on fair value. Intangible assets consist of in-place leases, which aggregated $3.2 million at the time of the acquisitions and prior to any amortization of such amounts. The estimated life of these in-place leases was 12 months, and the amortization expense that was recognized during 2017 was approximately $1.5 million. In connection with one of the acquired stores, the Company assumed mortgage debt that was recorded at a fair value of $6.2 million, which fair value includes an outstanding principal balance totaling $5.9 million and a net premium of $0.3 million to reflect the estimated fair value of the debt at the time of assumption. As part of the acquisition of that same store, the Company issued OP Units that were valued at approximately $12.3 million as consideration for the remainder of the purchase price (see note 12).

During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company also acquired a store in Illinois upon completion of construction and the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for $11.2 million. The purchase price was satisfied with $9.7 million of cash and 58,400 newly created Class C OP Units. Each Class C OP Unit has a stated value of $25 and bears an annual distribution rate of 3% of the stated value. The holder has the option to tender the Class C OP Units to the Operating Partnership at any time, and on or after April 12, 2018, the Operating Partnership will have the option to redeem the Class C OP Units, in each case at a redemption price of $25 per Class C OP Unit. The Company has the right to settle the redemption in cash or, at the Company’s option, common shares of CubeSmart, or a combination of cash and common shares, with the common shares valued at their closing price on the redemption date. Because the Class C OP Units represent an unconditional obligation that the Company may settle by issuing a variable number of its common shares with a monetary value that is known at inception, they have been classified as a liability in Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

The following table summarizes the Company’s revenue and earnings associated with the 2017 acquisitions from the respective acquisition dates, that are included in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2017:


	Year Ended December 31, 2017
	(in thousands)
Total revenue	$	1,572
Net loss		(1,330)

As of December 31, 2017, the Company was under contract and had made deposits of $1.0 million associated with two stores, including one store to be acquired after the completion of construction and the issuance of the certificate of occupancy, for an aggregate acquisition price of $33.0 million. The deposits are reflected in Other assets, net on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. The purchase of the store under construction is expected to occur during the second quarter of 2018 after the completion of construction and the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. This acquisition is subject to due diligence and other customary closing conditions and no assurance can be provided that it will be completed on the terms described, or at all. On January 31, 2018, the Company acquired the remaining store that was under contract as of December 31, 2017 (see note 19).

Development

As of December 31, 2017, the Company had invested in joint ventures to develop six self-storage properties located in Massachusetts (1) New Jersey (1), and New York (4). Construction for all projects is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2019. As of December 31, 2017, development costs incurred to date for these projects totaled $121.0 million. Total construction costs for these projects are expected to be $232.6 million. These costs are capitalized to construction in progress while the projects are under development and are reflected in Storage properties on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

The Company has completed the construction and opened for operation the following stores since January 1, 2015. The costs associated with the construction of these stores are capitalized to land, building, and improvements as well as equipment and are reflected in Storage properties on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.


			CubeSmart
	Number of		Ownership	Total
Store Location	Stores	Date Opened	Interest	Construction Costs
				(in thousands)
Brooklyn, NY	1	Q4 2017	51%	$	49,300
Washington, D.C.	1	Q3 2017	100%		27,800
New York, NY	1	Q3 2017	90%		81,200
North Palm Beach, FL	1	Q1 2017	100%		9,700
Bronx, NY (1) (2)	1	Q2 2016	100%		32,200
Queens, NY (1)	1	Q1 2016	100%		31,800
Brooklyn, NY (3)	1	Q4 2015	100%		14,800
Queens, NY	1	Q4 2015	90%		17,400
Arlington, VA	1	Q2 2015	90%		17,100
	9			$	281,300

(1)

These stores were previously owned through two separate consolidated joint ventures, of which the Company owned a 51% interest in each. On April 5, 2016, the noncontrolling member in the venture that owned the Queens, NY store put its 49% interest in the venture to the Company for $12.5 million. On August 12, 2016, the noncontrolling member in the venture that owned the Bronx, NY store put its 49% interest in the venture to the Company for $17.0 million.

(2)

This store is subject to a ground lease.

(3)

During the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company, through a joint venture in which the Company owned a 90% interest and that it previously consolidated, completed the construction and opened for operation a store located in Brooklyn, NY. On June 2, 2017, the Company acquired the noncontrolling member’s 10% interest in the venture for $9.0 million. Prior to this transaction, the noncontrolling member’s interest was reported in Noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries on the consolidated balance sheets. Since the Company retained its controlling interest in the joint venture and the store is now wholly owned, this transaction was accounted for as an equity transaction. The carrying amount of the noncontrolling interest was reduced to zero to reflect the purchase, and the $8.6 million difference between the purchase price paid by the Company and the carrying amount of the noncontrolling interest was recorded as an adjustment to equity attributable to the Company. In conjunction with the Company’s acquisition of the noncontrolling interest, the $9.8 million related party loan extended by the Company to the venture during the construction period was repaid in full.

2016 Acquisitions

During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company acquired 28 stores, including three stores upon completion of construction and the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, located throughout the United States for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $403.6 million. In connection with these acquisitions, the Company allocated a portion of the purchase price to the tangible and intangible assets acquired based on fair value. Intangible assets consist of in-place leases, which aggregated $18.8 million at the time of the acquisitions and prior to any amortization of such amounts. The estimated life of these in-place leases was 12 months, and the amortization expense that was recognized during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 was approximately $8.3 million and $10.5 million, respectively. In connection with one of the acquired stores, the Company assumed mortgage debt that was recorded at a fair value of $6.5 million, which fair value includes an outstanding principal balance totaling $6.3 million and a net premium of $0.2 million to reflect the estimated fair value of the debt at the time of assumption.

2015 Acquisitions

On December 15, 2015, the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding uncertificated shares of common stock of a privately held self-storage REIT (“PSI”) for $115.8 million. As of the date of the acquisition, PSI owned real property consisting of 12 fully operational self-storage properties which were acquired for $109.8 million, and one self-storage property that was under construction, which was acquired for $6.0 million (the “PSI Assets”). The PSI Assets are located in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. In connection with this acquisition, the Company allocated a portion of the purchase price to the intangible value of in-place leases, which aggregated to $6.7 million at the time of the acquisition and prior to any amortization of such amounts. The estimated life of these in-place leases was 12 months, and the amortization expense that was recognized during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 was approximately $6.1 million and $0.6 million, respectively.

During 2014, the Operating Partnership entered into an Agreement for Purchase and Sale with certain limited liability companies controlled by HSRE REIT I and HSRE REIT II, both Maryland real estate investment trusts, to acquire (the “HSRE Acquisition”) 26 self-storage properties for an aggregate purchase price of $223.0 million plus customary closing costs. During 2014, the Company closed on the first tranche of 22 stores comprising the HSRE Acquisition, for an aggregate purchase price of $195.5 million. On March 18, 2015, the Company closed on the second tranche of the remaining four stores comprising the HSRE Acquisition, for an aggregate purchase price of $27.5 million. The four stores purchased in the second tranche are located in Illinois. In connection with this acquisition, the Company allocated a portion of the purchase price to the intangible value of in-place leases, which aggregated to $2.7 million at the time of the acquisition and prior to any amortization of such amounts. The estimated life of these in-place leases was 12 months, and the amortization expense that was recognized during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 was approximately $0.7 million and $2.0 million, respectively.

During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company acquired 13 additional self-storage properties, including one store upon completion of construction and the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, located throughout the United States for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $155.0 million. In connection with these acquisitions, the Company allocated a portion of the purchase price to the tangible and intangible assets acquired based on fair value. Intangible assets consist of in-place leases, which aggregated $10.7 million at the time of the acquisitions and prior to any amortization of such amounts. The estimated life of these in-place leases was 12 months, and the amortization expense that was recognized during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 was approximately $6.0 million and $4.7 million, respectively. In connection with one of the acquired stores, the Company assumed mortgage debt that was recorded at a fair value of $2.7 million, which fair value includes an outstanding principal balance totaling $2.5 million and a net premium of $0.2 million to reflect the estimated fair value of the debt at the time of assumption.

2015 Dispositions

On October 8, 2015, the Company sold seven stores in Texas and one store in Florida for an aggregate sales price of approximately $37.8 million. In connection with these sales, the Company recorded gains that totaled $14.4 million. The proceeds from these sales were held in escrow to fund future acquisitions under a tax free like kind exchange. The total net proceeds of $36.4 million were subsequently applied to three separate acquisitions, of which one closed in December 2015 and two closed in January 2016.

On October 2, 2015, USIFB, a consolidated real estate joint venture in which the Company owned a 97% interest, sold its remaining asset in London, England, for an aggregate sales price of £6.5 million (approximately $9.9 million). In connection with the sale, the Company recorded a gain of $3.0 million net of a foreign currency translation loss of $1.2 million.