The information in this preliminary prospectus supplement is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell these securities, and they are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale thereof is not permitted.

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-217360

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED DECEMBER 11, 2018

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To prospectus dated June 19, 2017)

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

Shares

Common Stock

$     per share

This is a public offering of common stock of Global Medical REIT Inc. We are selling       shares of common stock. Our common stock is listed on The New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “GMRE.” On December 10, 2018, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the NYSE was $9.64 per share.

As of November 30, 2018, we owned 81 healthcare buildings primarily leased on a triple-net basis with approximately 2.0 million net leasable square feet and approximately $50.4 million of annualized base rent.

We elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016. Shares of our common stock are subject to restrictions on ownership and transfer that are intended, among other purposes, to assist us in qualifying and maintaining our qualification as a REIT. Our charter, subject to certain exceptions, limits ownership to no more than 9.8% in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of any class or series of our outstanding capital stock.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-6 of this prospectus supplement, as well as those described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other information that we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

   
  Per Share   Total
Public offering price   $           $        
Underwriting discount   $     $  
Proceeds, before expenses, to us(1)   $     $  

(1) We estimate that our expenses in this offering, excluding the underwriting discount, will be approximately $200,000.

We have granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 15% of the shares of common stock being offered in the public offering from us at the public offering price, less the underwriting discount, within 30 days after the date of this prospectus supplement. If the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full, the total underwriting discount will be approximately $     million.

The underwriters expect to deliver the shares of common stock to investors in this offering on or about           , 2018.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Joint Bookrunning Managers

 
Stifel   BMO Capital Markets

The date of this prospectus supplement is December   , 2018.


 
 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prospectus Supplement

 
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT     S-ii  
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS     S-iii  
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION     S-v  
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF INFORMATION FILED WITH THE SEC     S-vi  
SUMMARY     S-1  
THE OFFERING     S-4  
RISK FACTORS     S-6  
USE OF PROCEEDS     S-8  
DIVIDEND POLICY     S-9  
CAPITALIZATION     S-10  
UNDERWRITING (CONFLICTS OF INTEREST)     S-11  
LEGAL MATTERS     S-15  
EXPERTS     S-15  

Prospectus

 
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS     1  
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF INFORMATION FILED WITH THE SEC     1  
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION     2  
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS     3  
GLOBAL MEDICAL REIT INC.     5  
RISK FACTORS     6  
USE OF PROCEEDS     7  
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK     8  
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES     13  
LEGAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES     24  
CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW AND OF OUR CHARTER AND BYLAWS     27  
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS     32  
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION     60  
LEGAL MATTERS     62  
EXPERTS     62  


 

No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. If anyone provides you with different, inconsistent or unauthorized information or representations, you must not rely on them. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are an offer to sell only the securities offered by these documents and only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or incorporated by reference in these documents is current only as of the respective dates of those documents or the dates that are specified therein.

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This document consists of two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of the offering and also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus. The second part is the accompanying prospectus, which gives more general information. If the information set forth in this prospectus supplement differs in any way from the information set forth in the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information set forth in this prospectus supplement.

This prospectus supplement does not contain all of the information that is important to you. You should read the accompanying prospectus as well as the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information” in the accompanying prospectus.

Unless otherwise indicated or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement to “we,” “our,” “us” and “our company” refer to Global Medical REIT Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), together with its consolidated subsidiaries, including: (1) Global Medical REIT L.P. (the “Operating Partnership”), a Delaware limited partnership and (2) Global Medical REIT GP LLC (the “GP”), a Delaware limited liability company that is our wholly owned subsidiary and the sole general partner of our Operating Partnership.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

When used in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the documents that we have incorporated by reference, statements which are not historical in nature, including those containing words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “continue,” “intend,” “should,” “may” or similar expressions, are intended to identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and, as such, may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives.

The forward-looking statements included in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the documents that we have incorporated by reference, are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account all information available to us at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us. If a change occurs, our business, prospects, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. You should carefully consider this risk when you make an investment decision concerning our securities. Factors that could cause actual results to vary from our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

defaults on or non-renewal of leases by tenants;
decreased rental rates or increased vacancy rates;
difficulties in identifying healthcare facilities to acquire and completing such acquisitions;
adverse economic or real estate conditions or developments, either nationally or in the markets in which our facilities are located;
our failure to generate sufficient cash flows to service our outstanding obligations;
fluctuations in interest rates and increased operating costs;
our failure to effectively hedge our interest rate risk;
our ability to satisfy our short and long-term liquidity requirements;
our ability to deploy the debt and equity capital we raise;
our ability to raise additional equity and debt capital on terms that are attractive or at all;
our ability to make distributions on shares of our common and preferred stock;
expectations regarding the timing and/or completion of any acquisition;
general volatility of the market price of our common and preferred stock;
changes in our business or our investment or financing strategy;
changes in our management internalization plans;
our dependence upon key personnel whose continued service is not guaranteed;
the ability of our external manager, Inter-American Management, LLC (the “Advisor”), to identify, hire and retain highly qualified personnel in the future;
the degree and nature of our competition;
changes in healthcare laws, governmental regulations, tax rates and similar matters;
changes in healthcare and healthcare real estate trends;
changes in expected trends in Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance reimbursement trends;

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competition for investment opportunities;
our failure to successfully integrate acquired healthcare facilities;
our expected tenant improvement expenditures;
changes in accounting policies generally accepted in the United States of America;
lack of or insufficient amounts of insurance;
other factors affecting the real estate industry generally;
changes in the tax treatment of our distributions;
our failure to maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
limitations imposed on our business and our ability to satisfy complex rules relating to REIT qualification for U.S. federal income tax purposes; and
the factors discussed in this prospectus supplement, including those set forth under the section titled “Risk Factors,” and the sections captioned “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. New risks and uncertainties arise over time and it is not possible to predict those events or how they may affect us. Except as required by law, we are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance with those requirements, file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy statements and other information regarding registrants, including us, that file such information electronically with the SEC. The address of the SEC’s website is www.sec.gov. Our common stock is listed on the NYSE and our corporate website is located at www.globalmedicalreit.com. Our internet website and the information contained therein or connected thereto do not constitute a part of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto.

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, which form a part of the registration statement, do not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and its exhibits and schedules, certain parts of which are omitted in accordance with the SEC’s rules and regulations. For further information about us and our common stock, we refer you to the registration statement and to such exhibits and schedules. Statements contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus concerning the provisions of any document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or otherwise filed with the SEC are not necessarily complete, and in each instance reference is made to the copy of such document so filed. Each such statement is qualified in its entirety by such reference.

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INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF INFORMATION FILED WITH THE SEC

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus the information we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important business, financial and other information to you by referring you to other documents separately filed with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus from the date we file that document. Any reports filed by us with the SEC after the date of this prospectus supplement and before the date that the offering of the securities by means of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is terminated will automatically update and, where applicable, supersede any information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

We incorporate by reference the following documents or information filed with the SEC into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus (other than, in each case, documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules):

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, filed with the SEC on March 12, 2018;
the information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 from our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A related to our 2018 annual meeting of stockholders, filed on April 19, 2018;
our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, filed on May 9, 2018;
our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2018, filed on August 8, 2018;
our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2018, filed on November 6, 2018;
our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on March 7, 2018, April 12, 2018, April 24, 2018, June 4, 2018, June 15, 2018, June 22, 2018, August 17, 2018 and September 10, 2018;
the description of our capital stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on June 28, 2016; and
all documents filed by us under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act on or after the date of this prospectus supplement and before the termination of the offer and sale of shares of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus supplement.

We will provide without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are delivered, upon his or her written or oral request, a copy of any or all documents referred to above that have been or may be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, excluding exhibits to those documents unless they are specifically incorporated by reference into those documents. You may request those documents from us by contacting: Global Medical REIT Inc., 2 Bethesda Metro Center, Suite 440, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, telephone: (202) 524-6851.

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SUMMARY

The following summary is qualified in its entirety by the more detailed information and financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Because this is a summary, it may not contain all of the information that is important to you. You should read the entire prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the section entitled “Risk Factors” and the documents incorporated by reference herein, before making an investment decision.

Our Company

We are a Maryland corporation engaged primarily in the acquisition of licensed, state-of-the-art, purpose-built healthcare facilities and the leasing of these facilities to strong clinical operators with leading market share. We are externally managed and advised by our Advisor.

Our principal business objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns to our stockholders through a combination of (i) sustainable and increasing rental income that allows us to pay attractive dividends, and (ii) potential long-term appreciation in the value of our healthcare facilities and common stock.

Our Properties

As of November 30, 2018, we owned 81 healthcare buildings primarily leased on a triple-net basis with approximately 2.0 million net leasable square feet and approximately $50.4 million of annualized base rent.

The following table presents a summary of our properties as of November 30, 2018.

             
Property   Location   Leasable
Square
Feet
(LSF)
  % of
Portfolio
LSF
  Annualized
Base Rent (in
thousands)(1)
  % of
Portfolio
Annualized
Base Rent
  Cap.
Rate(2)
  Lease Years
Remaining(3)
Select Medical Hospital     Omaha, NE       41,113       2.0 %    $ 1,815       3.6 %      8.4 %      4.7  
Orthopedic Surgery Center of Asheville     Asheville, NC       8,840       0.4 %      245       0.5 %      10.1 %      3.3  
Associates in Ophthalmology     West Mifflin, PA       27,193       1.3 %      799       1.6 %      7.0 %      11.8  
Gastro One     Memphis, TN       52,266       2.6 %      1,323       2.6 %      6.6 %      9.1  
Star Medical Center     Plano, TX       24,000       1.2 %      1,310       2.6 %      7.5 %      17.2  
Surgical Institute of Michigan     Westland, MI       15,018       0.7 %      399       0.8 %      8.4 %      7.3  
Marina Towers     Melbourne, FL       75,899       3.7 %      1,127       2.2 %      7.3 %      7.3  
Berks Eye Physicians & Surgeons     Wyomissing, PA       17,000       0.80 %      463       0.9 %      7.7 %      7.7  
Berkshire Eye Surgery Center     Reading, PA       6,500       0.30 %      248       0.5 %      7.7 %      7.7  
East Orange General Hospital     East Orange, NJ       60,442       3.00 %      981       1.9 %      8.3 %      7.8  
Brown Clinic.     Watertown, SD       48,132       2.40 %      736       1.5 %      8.2 %      12.8  
Northern Ohio Medical Specialists (NOMS)     Sandusky, OH       55,760       2.70 %      885       1.8 %      7.9 %      8.9  
Carson Medical Group Clinic     Carson City, NV       20,632       1.00 %      365       0.7 %      9.6 %      4.9  
Piedmont Healthcare     Ellijay, GA       44,162       2.20 %      375       0.7 %      7.7 %      7.6  
Encompass (Mesa)     Mesa, AZ       51,903       2.50 %      1,815       3.6 %      8.1 %      5.9  
Encompass (Altoona)     Altoona, PA       70,007       3.40 %      1,713       3.4 %      8.0 %      2.4  
Encompass (Mechanicsburg)     Mechanicsburg, PA       78,836       3.90 %      1,923       3.8 %      7.9 %      2.4  
Southwest Florida Neurological & Rehab     Cape Coral, FL       25,814       1.30 %      540       1.1 %      7.4 %      8.2  
Geisinger Specialty Care     Lewisburg, PA       28,480       1.40 %      544       1.1 %      7.5 %      4.4  
Las Cruces Orthopedic     Las Cruces, NM       15,761       0.80 %      362       0.7 %      7.4 %      10.2  
Thumb Butte Medical Center     Prescott, AZ       12,000       0.60 %      382       0.8 %      8.5 %      8.3  
Southlake Heart & Vascular Institute     Clermont, FL       18,152       0.90 %      380       0.8 %      7.3 %      3.9  

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Property   Location   Leasable
Square
Feet
(LSF)
  % of
Portfolio
LSF
  Annualized
Base Rent (in
thousands)(1)
  % of
Portfolio
Annualized
Base Rent
  Cap.
Rate(2)
  Lease Years
Remaining(3)
Oklahoma Center for Orthopedic & Multi-specialty Surgery (OCOM)     Oklahoma City, OK       97,406       4.80 %      3,579       7.1 %      7.2 %      14.4  
Great Bend Regional Hospital     Great Bend, KS       63,978       3.10 %      2,198       4.4 %      9.0 %      13.3  
Unity Family Medicine     Brockport, NY       29,497       1.40 %      621       1.2 %      7.2 %      12.0  
Lonestar Endoscopy     Flower Mound, TX       10,062       0.50 %      300       0.6 %      7.4 %      7.8  
Texas Digestive     Fort Worth, TX       18,084       0.90 %      442       0.9 %      7.1 %      9.6  
Carrus Specialty Hospital     Sherman, TX       69,352       3.40 %      2,581       5.1 %      9.9 %      18.6  
Cardiologists of Lubbock     Lubbock, TX       27,280       1.30 %      612       1.2 %      7.5 %      10.8  
Conrad Pearson Clinic     Germantown, TN       33,777       1.70 %      1,488       3.0 %      9.3 %      5.4  
Central Texas Rehabilitation Clinic     Austin, TX       59,258       2.90 %      2,971       5.9 %      7.3 %      8.4  
Heartland Clinic     Moline, IL       34,020       1.70 %      910       1.8 %      7.8 %      14.6  
Albertville Medical Building     Albertville, MN       21,486       1.10 %      489       1.0 %      7.2 %      10.1  
Amarillo Bone & Joint Clinic     Amarillo, TX       23,298       1.10 %      594       1.2 %      6.9 %      11.1  
Kansas City Cardiology     Lee’s Summit, MO       12,180       0.60 %      275       0.5 %      7.2 %      6.1  
Zion Eye Institute     St. George, UT       16,000       0.80 %      400       0.8 %      7.0 %      11.1  
Respiratory Specialists     Wyomissing, PA       17,598       0.90 %      405       0.8 %      7.2 %      9.1  
Quad City Kidney Center     Moline, IL       27,173       1.30 %      548       1.1 %      8.2 %      12.4  
Northern Ohio Medical Specialists (NOMS)     Fremont, OH       25,893       1.30 %      609       1.2 %      7.3 %      11.2  
Gainesville Eye     Gainesville, GA       34,020       1.70 %      776       1.5 %      7.5 %      11.2  
City Hospital of White Rock     Dallas, TX       236,314       11.60 %      2,230       4.4 %      9.7 %      19.3  
Orlando Health     Orlando, FL       59,644       2.90 %      1,346       2.7 %      8.3 %      4.0  
Memorial Health     Belpre, OH       155,600       7.60 %      5,112       10.1 %      8.0 %      12.2  
Valley ENT     McAllen, TX       30,811       1.50 %      439       0.9 %      8.2 %      10.8  
Rock Surgery Center     Derby, KS       16,704       0.80 %      255       0.5 %      7.5 %      8.5  
Foot and Ankle Specialists     Bountiful, UT       22,335       1.10 %      380       0.8 %      8.1 %      14.9  
TriHealth     Cincinnati, OH       18,820       0.90 %      313       0.6 %      8.0 %      7.1  
Cancer Center of Brevard     Melbourne, FL       19,074       0.90 %      623       1.2 %      8.0 %      4.6  
Heartland Women’s Healthcare     Southern IL       64,966       3.10 %      1,158       2.3 %      8.1 %      10.6  
Totals/Weighted Average           2,042,540       100.0 %    $ 50,384       100.0 %      7.9 %      10.2  

(1) Monthly base rent for November 2018 multiplied by 12.
(2) Annualized base rent for November 2018 divided by contractual purchase price.
(3) Does not include tenant renewal options.

Recent Developments

Investment Pipeline

We continue to see attractive opportunities to acquire licensed medical properties. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we currently have approximately $28.1 million of acquisitions under contract for potential acquisition comprising two properties, which will add approximately 100,300 aggregate square feet to our current property portfolio. We have not completed our due diligence investigation for any of these potential acquisitions. Therefore, there is no assurance that we will complete any of these potential acquisitions.

Interest Rate Swaps

On November 16, 2018, as part of our interest rate hedging strategy, the Company entered into interest rate swap agreements with a total notional amount of $70 million and a term of approximately six years. These interest rate swap agreements will effectively fix the LIBOR component of corresponding LIBOR-based

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borrowings at 2.93%. To date, the Company has fixed the LIBOR component on $170 million of its LIBOR-based borrowings through interest rate swaps.

Corporate Information

We elected to be taxed as a REIT commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016. Subject to certain significant exceptions, a corporation that qualifies as a REIT generally is not subject to U.S. federal corporate income taxes on income and gains that it distributes to its stockholders, thereby reducing or eliminating its corporate level taxes. In order to qualify as a REIT, a substantial percentage of our assets must be qualifying real estate assets and a substantial percentage of our income must be rental revenue from real property or interest on mortgage loans. We believe that we have organized and have operated in such a manner as to qualify for taxation as a REIT, and we intend to continue to operate in such a manner. However, we cannot provide assurances that we will continue to operate in a manner so as to qualify or remain qualified as a REIT.

The Company holds its facilities and conducts its operations through the Operating Partnership. The Company serves as the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership through the GP. As of September 30, 2018, the Company was the 90.0% limited partner of the Operating Partnership, with the remaining 10.0% owned by the holders of long-term incentive plan (“LTIP”) units issued by the Operating Partnership as incentive equity awards and third-party holders of Operating Partnership Units (“OP Units”). The Company intends to conduct all future acquisition activity and operations through the Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership holds the Company’s healthcare facilities through separate wholly-owned Delaware limited liability company subsidiaries that were formed for each healthcare facility acquisition.

Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “GMRE.” Our principal executive offices are located at 2 Bethesda Metro Center, Suite 440, Bethesda MD, 20814. Our telephone number is (202) 524-6851. Our website is located at http://www.globalmedicalreit.com. The information found on, or otherwise accessible through, our website is not incorporated into, and does not form a part of, this prospectus supplement or any other report or document we file with or furnish to the SEC.

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THE OFFERING

Issuer    
    Global Medical REIT Inc.
Common stock offered by us.    
          shares.
Common stock to be outstanding after this offering(1)(2)    
          shares.
Use of Proceeds    
    We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated expenses of approximately $200,000 payable by us, will be approximately $     million (or approximately $     million if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full). We intend to contribute the net proceeds of this offering to our Operating Partnership in exchange for OP Units in our Operating Partnership. Our Operating Partnership intends to use the net proceeds from this offering to repay a portion of the outstanding indebtedness under our amended and restated revolving credit facility and to fund acquisitions or for other general corporate purposes. Certain of the underwriters or their respective partners or affiliates are or may in the future be lenders and/or agents under our amended and restated revolving credit facility and therefore may receive a portion of any net proceeds from this offering used for the repayment of borrowings under our revolving credit facility. See “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest) — Conflicts of Interest” in this prospectus supplement.
Conflicts of Interest    
    An affiliate of BMO Capital Markets Corp. is a lender and/or agent under our revolving credit facility. Because at least 5% of the net offering proceeds, not including underwriting discounts and commissions, are intended to be used to reduce or retire the balance of our revolving credit facility extended by the affiliate of BMO Capital Markets Corp., BMO Capital Markets Corp. is deemed to have a conflict of interest under Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) Rule 5121. Accordingly, this offering will be conducted in accordance with FINRA Rule 5121, which requires that Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, the representative of the underwriters, does not have a conflict of interest, is not an affiliate of BMO Capital Markets Corp. and meets the requirements of paragraph (f)(12)(E) of Rule 5121. See “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest) — Conflicts of Interest” in this prospectus supplement.
Ownership and transfer restrictions.    
    To assist us in qualifying as a REIT, among other purposes, our charter generally limits beneficial and constructive ownership of our capital stock by any person to no more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock. In addition, our charter contains various other restrictions on the ownership and transfer of our common stock. See “Description of Capital Stock — Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer” in the accompanying prospectus.
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations    
    For a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to purchasing, owning and disposing our common stock, please see the section entitled “Material U.S.

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    Federal Income Tax Considerations” in the accompanying prospectus and the disclosure set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 12, 2018 under the caption “Additional Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations,” which is incorporated by reference herein and supplements the information in the accompanying prospectus under the caption “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”
NYSE symbol.    
    “GMRE.”
Risk Factors    
    Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully read and consider the information set forth under “Risk Factors” and all other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus before investing in our common stock.

(1) Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase up to an additional 15% of the shares of common stock being offered in the public offering. Based on 22,293,090 shares of common stock outstanding as of December 10, 2018.
(2) Excludes shares issuable in respect of 587,847 outstanding vested and unvested LTIP units previously granted to our officers, directors and certain key employees of our manager and 367,163 LTIP units that may be earned in the future by the holders of outstanding performance-based equity awards that have been made. Also excludes 2,145,113 OP Units issued to third parties.

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RISK FACTORS

Before purchasing any securities offered by this prospectus supplement, you should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, the risks, uncertainties and additional information set forth in our SEC reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and in the other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, and any risks described in any accompanying prospectus supplement. For a description of these reports and documents, and information about where you can find them, see “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by Reference of Information Filed with the SEC.” Additional risks not presently known or that are currently deemed immaterial could also materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, business and prospects.

The market price and trading volume of our common stock may be volatile following the offer and sale of shares of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus supplement.

The market price of our common stock may be highly volatile and be subject to wide fluctuations. In addition, the trading volume in our common stock may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. If the market price of our common stock declines significantly, you may be unable to resell your shares at or above the public offering price. We cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will not fluctuate or decline significantly in the future. Some of the factors that could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the price or trading volume of our common stock include:

actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly operating results or distributions;
changes in our earnings estimates or publication of research reports by securities analysts;
increased difficulty in maintaining or obtaining financing on attractive terms, or at all;
changes in interest rates;
changes in market valuations of similar companies;
changes in the regulatory environment in which our business operates;
additions or departures of key management personnel;
actions by institutional stockholders;
speculation in the press or investment community; and
general market and economic conditions.

Future offerings of debt securities, which would rank senior to our common stock upon our liquidation, and future offerings of equity securities, which would dilute our existing stockholders and investors in this offering and may be senior to our common stock for the purposes of dividend and liquidating distributions, may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by making offerings of debt or additional offerings of equity securities, including commercial paper, medium-term notes, senior or subordinated notes and classes of preferred stock or common stock. Upon liquidation, holders of our debt securities and shares of preferred stock and lenders with respect to other borrowings will receive a distribution of our available assets prior to the holders of our common stock. Additional equity offerings may dilute the holdings of our existing stockholders and investors in this offering or reduce the market price of our common stock, or both. In addition, we could sell securities at a price less than our then-current net asset value per share. Our Series A Preferred Stock has, and any future preferred stock issuances could have, a preference on liquidating distributions or a preference on dividend payments that could limit our ability to make a dividend distribution to the holders of our common stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, holders of our common stock bear the risk of our future offerings reducing the market price of our common stock and diluting their stock holdings in us.

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We have not established a minimum distribution payment level, and we cannot assure you of our ability to make distributions in the future.

We expect to make monthly distributions to our stockholders in amounts such that we distribute all or substantially all of our REIT taxable income in each year, subject to certain adjustments. We have not established a minimum distribution payment level, and our ability to make distributions may be adversely affected by the risk factors described in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. All distributions will be declared at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, our financial condition, maintenance of our REIT status and other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant from time to time. We may not be able to make distributions in the future. In addition, some of our distributions may include a return of capital. To the extent that we decide to make distributions in excess of our current and accumulated tax earnings and profits, such distributions would generally be considered a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A return of capital is not taxable, but it has the effect of reducing the holder’s basis in its investment.

An increase in market interest rates may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

One of the factors that investors may consider in deciding whether to buy or sell shares of our common stock is our distribution rate as a percentage of our share price relative to market interest rates. If the market price of our common stock is based primarily on the earnings and return that we derive from our investments and income with respect to our investments and our related distributions to stockholders, and not from the market value of the investments themselves, then interest rate fluctuations and capital market conditions will likely affect the market price of our common stock. For instance, if market rates rise without an increase in our distribution rate, the market price of our common stock could decrease as potential investors may require a higher distribution yield on our common stock or seek other securities paying higher distributions or interest. In addition, rising interest rates would result in increased interest expense on our variable rate debt, thereby adversely affecting cash flow and our ability to service our indebtedness and pay distributions.

Investing in our common stock may involve an above average degree of risk.

The investments we make in accordance with our investment strategy may result in a higher amount of risk, volatility or loss of principal than alternative investment options. Our investments may be highly speculative and aggressive, and therefore, an investment in our common stock may not be suitable for someone with lower risk tolerance.

Our management team has broad discretion in the use of the proceeds of this offering and we may invest or spend such proceeds in ways with which you may not agree or in ways that may not yield a significant return.

Our management will have broad discretion over the use of the proceeds from this offering. The net proceeds from this offering will be used to fund new acquisitions, to repay indebtedness or for other general corporate purposes. Our management will have considerable discretion in the application of such net proceeds, and you will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether such proceeds are being used appropriately. As a result, the net proceeds from this offering may be used for purposes that do not increase our operating results or enhance the value of our common stock.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering, after deducting the underwriting discounts and estimated expenses payable by us of approximately $200,000, will be approximately $     million (or approximately $     million if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full).

We intend to contribute the net proceeds of this offering to our Operating Partnership in exchange for OP Units in our Operating Partnership. Our Operating Partnership intends to use the net proceeds from this offering to repay a portion of the outstanding indebtedness under our revolving credit facility and to fund acquisitions or for other general corporate purposes. Amounts repaid under our revolving credit facility may be re-borrowed from time to time, subject to the terms of the facility, and we intend to do so in the future to fund our capital program. The termination date of the revolving credit facility is August 7, 2022, subject to a one-year extension right on our part if no event of default occurs. As of September 30, 2018, we had $197.4 million in borrowings outstanding under our revolving credit facility, which currently bears interest at an annual rate of LIBOR plus 1.90%. Borrowings under the revolving credit facility were primarily incurred to fund acquisitions.

Certain of the underwriters or their respective partners or affiliates are or may in the future be lenders and/or agents under our revolving credit facility and therefore may receive a portion of any net proceeds from this offering used for the repayment of borrowings under our revolving credit facility. See “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest) — Conflicts of Interest.”

Pending the permanent use of the net proceeds of this offering, we intend to invest the net proceeds in interest-bearing short-term investment-grade securities, money-market accounts or other investments that are consistent with our intention to maintain our qualification as a REIT.

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We intend to make quarterly cash distributions to our stockholders, consistent with our intention to maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To qualify as a REIT, we must distribute annually to our stockholders an amount at least equal to 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain.

The amount of the dividends paid to our stockholders is determined by our Board and is dependent on a number of factors, including funds available for payment of dividends, our financial condition, capital expenditure requirements and annual dividend amount of offering proceeds that may be used to fund dividends, except that, in accordance with our organizational documents and Maryland law, we may not make dividend distributions that would: (i) cause us to be unable to pay our debts as they become due in the usual course of business; (ii) cause our total assets to be less than the sum of our total liabilities plus senior liquidation preferences; or (iii) jeopardize our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT. There are no assurances of our ability to pay dividends in the future at the current rate or at all. See “Risk Factors — We have not established a minimum distribution payment level, and we cannot assure you of our ability to make distributions in the future.”

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth (i) our unaudited historical capitalization as of September 30, 2018, and (ii) our unaudited capitalization as of September 30, 2018, as adjusted to give effect to this offering, but does not otherwise reflect events subsequent to September 30, 2018. This table should be read in conjunction with “Use of Proceeds” in this prospectus supplement and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2018, June 30, 2018 and September 30, 2018, that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

   
  As of September 30, 2018
     Historical(1)   As Adjusted
     (Unaudited, in thousands, except par values)
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 3,005           
Credit facility, net of unamortized discount of $4,127     293,273           
Notes payable, net of unamortized discount of $832     38,643           
Total debt     331,916           
Stockholders’ equity:
                 
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share, 10,000 historical shares authorized, and 3,105 shares issued and outstanding     74,959       74,959  
Common stock, $0.001 par value per share, 500,000 historical shares authorized, and 22,003 and        shares issued and outstanding on a historical and as adjusted basis, respectively     22           
Additional paid-in capital     208,938           
Accumulated deficit.     (46,855 )          
Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (109 )          
Total Global Medical REIT Inc. stockholders' equity     236,955           
Noncontrolling interest     17,701           
Total stockholders’ equity     254,656           
Total capitalization   $ 586,572           

(1) Subsequent to September 30, 2018, we issued 290,435 shares of common stock under our ATM program (as defined below) and received net proceeds of approximately $2.7 million.

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UNDERWRITING (CONFLICTS OF INTEREST)

In accordance with the terms and conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, we have agreed to sell to each of the underwriters named below, and each of the underwriters, for which Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated and BMO Capital Markets Corp. are acting as the representatives, has, severally, and not jointly, agreed to purchase from us on a firm commitment basis the shares offered in this offering set forth opposite such underwriter’s name below:

 
Underwriters   Number
of Shares
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated         
BMO Capital Markets Corp.         

        
Total               

We have been advised by the representatives of the underwriters that the underwriters propose to offer the shares directly to the public at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement. Any shares sold by the underwriters to securities dealers will be sold at the public offering price less a selling concession not in excess of $       per share.

The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters’ obligations to purchase the shares are subject to conditions contained in the underwriting agreement. The underwriters are obligated to purchase and pay for all of the shares offered by this prospectus supplement other than those covered by the option to purchase additional shares, if any of these securities are purchased.

Underwriting Discount

The following table summarizes the underwriting discount to be paid to the underwriters by us.

     
    Total
     Per Share   Without Option Exercise   With Full Option Exercise
Public offering price   $     $           
Underwriting discount   $     $           
Proceeds, before expenses, to us   $              $                    

We estimate that our expenses in this offering, excluding the underwriting discount, will be approximately $200,000. We have also agreed to reimburse the underwriters for up to $5,000 of certain fees and expenses related to blue sky matters and up to $10,000 of certain of their counsel’s fees and expenses related to the review by FINRA.

It is expected that delivery of the shares in this offering will be made against payment therefor by purchasers in this offering on or about       , 2018, which is the second business day following the pricing date of the shares (such settlement cycle being referred to as T+2). Under Rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise.

Option to Purchase Additional Shares

We have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable not later than 30 days after the date of this prospectus supplement, to purchase up to an additional 15% of the shares of common stock being offered in the public offering from us at the public offering price, less the underwriting discount, set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement. If any additional shares are purchased pursuant to this option, the underwriters will offer these additional shares on the same terms as those on which the other shares are being offered hereby.

Lock-Ups

We have agreed, subject to certain exceptions, that we will not directly or indirectly, issue, sell, offer, agree to sell, contract or grant any option to sell (including, without limitation, pursuant to any short sale), pledge, make any short sale of, maintain any short position with respect to, transfer, establish or maintain an

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open “put equivalent position” within the meaning of Rule 16a-1(h) under the Exchange Act, enter into any swap, derivative transaction or other arrangement (whether such transaction is to be settled by delivery of our common stock, other securities, cash or other consideration) that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership, or otherwise dispose of any shares of our common stock, options or warrants to acquire shares of our common stock, or securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into shares of our common stock, or publicly disclose the intention to take any such action, without, in each case, the prior written consent of the representatives for a period of 45 days after the date of this prospectus supplement. However, the “lock-up” provisions described above do not apply to, among other things, (i) grants of equity awards under our 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, (ii) the issuance of common stock pursuant to the redemption of outstanding OP Units, LTIP units or equity awards, and (iii) the issuance of common stock pursuant to our “at-the-market” offering program (the “ATM”) of up to $50 million of our common stock under which, from and after the 30th day after the date of this prospectus supplement, we may issue and sell common stock so long as the volume weighted average price of our common stock for each of the five trading days prior to the issuance of a placement notice in connection with the ATM is equal to or greater than the greater of (i) $9.15 or (ii) $0.15 above the offering price per share.

Each of our directors and executive officers and greater than 10% holders of our common stock has agreed that they will not sell or offer or contract to sell or offer, grant any option or warrant for the sale of, assign, transfer, pledge, hypothecate, or otherwise encumber or dispose of any legal or beneficial interest in any shares of our common stock, enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of our common stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge or disposition, or to enter into any transaction, swap, hedge or other arrangement, without, in each case, the prior written consent of the representatives for a period of 45 days after the date of this prospectus supplement. However, each of our directors and executive officers may transfer or dispose of our shares during this 45-day “lock-up” period, provided, that (i) such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, (ii) the transferee agrees to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth in this paragraph for the remainder of the 45-day “lock-up” period prior to such transfer, and (iii) no filing by the transferor or transferee under the Exchange Act is required or voluntarily made in connection with such transfer (other than a filing on a Form 5 made after the expiration of the 45-day “lock-up” period).

Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids

The underwriters may engage in over-allotment, syndicate covering transactions, stabilizing transactions and penalty bids or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of our common stock:

Over-allotment involves sales by the underwriters of shares in excess of the number of shares the underwriters are obligated to purchase, which creates a syndicate short position. The short position may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of shares over-allotted by an underwriter is not greater than the number of shares that it may purchase in the option granted to the underwriters to purchase additional shares. In a naked short position, the number of shares involved is greater than the number of shares in the option granted to the underwriters to purchase additional shares. An underwriter may close out any short position by exercising its option, in whole or in part, or by purchasing shares in the open market.
Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of securities in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of securities needed to close out the short position, the representatives will consider, among other things, the price of the securities available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which it may purchase the securities through the option granted to the underwriters to purchase additional shares. If the underwriters sell more securities than could be covered by the option granted to the underwriters to purchase additional shares, which would constitute a naked short position, the position can only be closed out by buying securities in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the representatives are concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the securities in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.

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Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specific maximum.
Penalty bids permit the representatives to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the securities originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions.

These syndicate covering transactions, stabilizing transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market prices of our securities or preventing or retarding a decline in the market prices of our securities. As a result, the price of our common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on the NYSE, in the over-the-counter market or on any trading market and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the prices of our securities. In addition, neither we nor the underwriters make any representation that the underwriters will engage in these stabilizing transactions or that any transactions, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Conflicts of Interest

We have entered into interest rate swaps with affiliates of certain of the underwriters. In addition, certain of the underwriters and their affiliates have been, may be, or are lenders to, and counterparties in securities, derivatives and other trading activities with, certain of our affiliates and us and in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their affiliates may hold or trade securities of ours or our affiliates. In conjunction with services that affiliates of the underwriters have provided, may provide or are providing to us and our affiliates, commercial disputes may arise. Some of the underwriters and their affiliates have engaged in, and may in the future engage in, commercial banking, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates for which they have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions.

Partners and affiliates of certain of the underwriters are or may in the future be lenders and/or agents under our credit facility and have been paid customary fees. We intend to use a portion of the net proceeds from this offering to repay amounts outstanding under this credit facility. Accordingly, such affiliates will receive their pro rata portions of the net proceeds from this offering used to repay borrowings thereunder. Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated may pay an unaffiliated entity or its affiliate, who is also a lender under our credit facility, a fee in connection with this offering.

BMO Capital Markets Corp. is a sales agent under our ATM program for the issuance and sale from time to time of shares of our common stock having an aggregate gross sales price of $50.0 million.

An affiliate of BMO Capital Markets Corp. is a lender and/or agent under our revolving credit facility. Because at least 5% of the net offering proceeds, not including underwriting discounts and commissions, are intended to be used to reduce or retire the balance of our revolving credit facility extended by the affiliate of BMO Capital Markets Corp., BMO Capital Markets Corp. is deemed to have a conflict of interest under FINRA Rule 5121. Accordingly, this offering will be conducted in accordance with FINRA Rule 5121, which requires that Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, the representative of the underwriters, does not have a conflict of interest, is not an affiliate of BMO Capital Markets Corp. and meets the requirements of paragraph (f)(12)(E) of Rule 5121.

Other Relationships

Certain of the underwriters and their affiliates may have provided in the past to us and our affiliates and may provide from time to time in the future certain commercial banking, financial advisory, investment banking, brokerage and other services for us and such affiliates in the ordinary course of their business, for which they have received and may continue to receive customary fees and commissions. In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments for their own account and the accounts of their customers which may include or involve our securities and/or instruments. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make investment

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recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to their clients that they acquire, long or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Except as described above and under the heading “Conflicts of Interest” and except for services provided in connection with this offering, no underwriter has provided us with any investment banking or other financial services during the 180-day period preceding the effective date of this offering and we do not expect to retain any underwriter to perform any investment banking or other financial services for at least 90 days after the effective date of this offering.

Indemnification

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make with respect to any of these liabilities.

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in electronic format may be made available on websites maintained by the underwriters or selling group members, and the underwriters or selling group members may distribute the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus electronically.

NYSE Listing

The shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “GMRE.”

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LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters will be passed upon for us by Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. and, with respect to matters of Maryland law, by Venable LLP. Certain legal matters will be passed upon for the Underwriters by Cooley LLP, New York, New York.

EXPERTS

MaloneBailey, LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements and schedules included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, as set forth in their reports, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Such consolidated financial statements and schedules are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The historical statements of revenues and certain operating expenses of the Belpre portfolio for the year ended December 31, 2017 appearing in the Global Medical REIT Inc. Current Report (Form 8-K/A) dated June 22, 2018, have been audited by MaloneBailey, LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated statements of revenues and certain operating expenses are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

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PROSPECTUS

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

$500,000,000
 
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities



 

We may offer, issue and sell from time to time, together or separately, the securities described in this prospectus, at an aggregate public offering price that will not exceed $500,000,000.

We will provide the specific terms of any securities we may offer in supplements to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you invest. This prospectus may not be used to offer and sell any securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement describing the amount of and terms of the offering of those securities.

We may offer and sell these securities to or through one or more underwriters, dealers or agents, or directly to purchasers on a continuous or delayed basis. We reserve the sole right to accept, and together with any underwriters, dealers and agents, reserve the right to reject, in whole or in part, any proposed purchase of securities. The names of any underwriters, dealers or agents involved in the sale of any securities, the specific manner in which they may be offered and any applicable commissions or discounts will be set forth in the prospectus supplement covering the sales of those securities.

We expect to elect to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, for federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016. To assist us in complying with certain federal income tax requirements applicable to REITs, among other purposes, our charter generally limits beneficial and constructive ownership by any person to no more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock. In addition, our charter contains various other restrictions on the ownership and transfer of our common stock. See “Description of Capital Stock — Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE, under the symbol “GMRE.” The last reported sale price of our common stock on the NYSE on June 14, 2017 was $9.41 per share. We have not yet determined whether any of the other securities that may be offered by this prospectus will be listed on any exchange, inter-dealer quotation system or over-the-counter system. If we decide to seek a listing for any of those securities, that will be disclosed in a prospectus supplement.



 

Investing in our securities involves risks. Before making a decision to invest in our securities, you should carefully consider the risks described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended by Amendment No. 2 thereto, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including any risks described in any accompanying prospectus supplement.

Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities, or determined if this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

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About This Prospectus     1  
Incorporation by Reference of Information Filed with the SEC     1  
Where You Can Find More Information     2  
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements     3  
Global Medical REIT Inc.     5  
Risk Factors     6  
Use of Proceeds     7  
Description of Capital Stock     8  
Description of Debt Securities     13  
Legal Ownership of Securities     24  
Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Charter and Bylaws     27  
Plan of Distribution     60  
Legal Matters     62  
Experts     62  

Unless otherwise indicated or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement to “we,” “our,” “us” and “our company” refer to Global Medical REIT Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), together with its consolidated subsidiaries, including: (1) Global Medical REIT L.P. (the “Operating Partnership”), a Delaware limited partnership and (2) Global Medical REIT GP LLC (the “GP”), a Delaware limited liability company that is our wholly owned subsidiary and the sole general partner of our Operating Partnership.

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, as well as information that we have previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and incorporated by reference, is accurate only as of the date of the applicable document. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

The distribution of this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement and the offering of our securities in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. If you possess this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement, you should find out about and observe these restrictions. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement are not an offer to sell our securities and are not soliciting an offer to buy our securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted or where the person making the offer or sale is not qualified to do so or to any person to whom it is not permitted to make such offer or sale. See “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus.

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a “shelf” registration statement that we have filed with the SEC. By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell, at any time and from time to time, in one or more offerings, any combination of the securities described in this prospectus. The exhibits to our registration statement and documents incorporated by reference contain the full text of certain contracts and other important documents that we have summarized in this prospectus or that we may summarize in a prospectus supplement. Since these summaries may not contain all the information that you may find important in deciding whether to purchase the securities we offer, you should review the full text of these documents. The registration statement and the exhibits and other documents can be obtained from the SEC as indicated under the sections entitled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by Reference of Information Filed with the SEC.”

This prospectus only provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer, which is not meant to be a complete description of each security. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that contains specific information about the terms of those securities. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement. You should read carefully both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the sections entitled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by Reference of Information Filed with the SEC.”

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF INFORMATION FILED WITH THE SEC

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement. Any statement contained in a document which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement is automatically updated and superseded if information contained in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement, or information that we later file with the SEC, modifies or replaces this information. We incorporate by reference the following documents we filed with the SEC:

our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2017, filed on May 11, 2017;
our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed with the SEC on March 27, 2017, as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto filed with the SEC on May 5, 2017, and Amendment No. 2 thereto filed with the SEC on May 9, 2017;
the information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on April 7, 2017;
our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 4, 2017, February 2, 2017, March 6, 2017 (as amended on March 28, 2017), March 17, 2017, March 20, 2017, April 5, 2017 (as amended on June 5, 2017) and May 23, 2017; and
the description of our capital stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on June 28, 2016.

We are also incorporating by reference additional documents that we file with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act: (i) after the date of the initial registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and prior to effectiveness of the registration statement and (ii) after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of the offering of the securities described in this prospectus. We are not, however, incorporating by reference any documents or portions thereof, whether specifically listed above or filed in the future, that are not deemed “filed” with the SEC, including any information furnished pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K or certain exhibits furnished pursuant to Item 9.01 of Form 8-K.

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To receive a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, including exhibits, if they are specifically incorporated by reference into the documents, call us at (202) 524-6851 or submit a written request to Global Medical REIT Inc., 4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 450, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any document we file with the SEC at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E. Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information about the public reference room. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. You may inspect reports and other information we file at the offices of the NYSE, 20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005. In addition, we maintain a website that contains information about us at http://www.globalmedicalreit.com. The information found on, or otherwise accessible through, our website is not incorporated by reference into, and does not form a part of, this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement or any other report or document we file with or furnish to the SEC.

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3, of which this prospectus is a part, including exhibits, schedules and amendments filed with, or incorporated by reference into, the registration statement, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, with respect to the securities registered hereby. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement do not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and exhibits and schedules to the registration statement. For further information with respect to our company and the securities registered hereby, reference is made to the registration statement, including the exhibits to the registration statement. Statements contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement are not necessarily complete and, where such contract or other document is an exhibit to the registration statement, each statement is qualified in all respects by the exhibit to which the reference relates. Copies of the registration statement, including the exhibits and schedules to the registration statement, may be examined at the SEC’s public reference room. Copies of all or a portion of the registration statement can be obtained from the public reference room of the SEC upon payment of prescribed fees. The registration statement of which this prospectus is a part is also available to you on the SEC’s website.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

When used in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, including the documents that we have incorporated by reference, in future filings with the SEC or in press releases or other written or oral communications, statements which are not historical in nature, including those containing words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “continue,” “intend,” “should,” “may” or similar expressions, are intended to identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act and, as such, may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives. Statements regarding the following subjects are forward-looking by their nature:

our business and investment strategy;
our forecasted operating results;
our ability to obtain future financing arrangements;
our expected leverage levels;
our understanding of our competition;
market trends and expectations in our industry;
our anticipated capital expenditures; and
our ability to maintain our qualification as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, for federal income tax purposes.

The forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account all information available to us at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us. If a change occurs, our business, prospects, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. You should carefully consider this risk when you make an investment decision concerning our securities. Additionally, the following factors could cause actual results to vary from our forward-looking statements:

the factors discussed in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, including those set forth under the section titled “Risk Factors,” and the sections captioned “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended by Amendment No. 2 thereto, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents that we file with the SEC;
general volatility of the capital markets and the market prices of our listed securities;
performance of our industry in general;
changes in our business or investment strategy;
availability, terms and deployment of capital;
availability of and our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel;
our leverage levels;
our capital expenditures;
changes in our industry and the markets in which we operate, interest rates or the general U.S. or international economy;
our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes; and
the degree and nature of our competition.

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All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. New risks and uncertainties arise over time and it is not possible to predict those events or how they may affect us. Except as required by law, we are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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GLOBAL MEDICAL REIT INC.

We are a Maryland corporation engaged primarily in the acquisition of licensed, state-of-the-art, purpose-built healthcare facilities and the leasing of these facilities to leading clinical operators with dominant market share. We are externally managed and advised by Inter-American Management LLC, our advisor.

As of December 31, 2016, we owned 31 properties with an aggregate investment of $206.6 million.

We believe that the aging of America is increasing the need for specialized healthcare facilities leased to premier practice groups, healthcare systems and corporate providers that will capture the growth in age-related procedures. These leading medical operators require state-of-the-art facilities that through their technology and design enhance the quality of care provided and improve clinical outcomes for patients. We seek to invest in these purpose-built, specialized facilities, such as surgery centers, specialty hospitals and outpatient treatment centers, in order to align with contemporary trends in the delivery of best healthcare practices. Our healthcare facilities are leased to established providers that, through clinical expertise and strong management, operate sustainable and dominant practices. We target markets with high demand for premium healthcare services, and within those markets, assets that are strategically located to take advantage of the decentralization of healthcare. We believe that our investment in the confluence of state-of-the-art medical facilities, market dominant tenant-operators and strategic sub-markets enhances clinical outcomes and provides attractive risk-adjusted returns to our stockholders.

Our principal business objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns to our stockholders through a combination of (i) sustainable and increasing rental income that allows us to pay reliable, increasing dividends, and (ii) potential long-term appreciation in the value of our healthcare facilities and common stock.

We intend to elect to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016. As a REIT, we will generally not be subject to federal income taxes to the extent that we currently distribute all of our taxable income to our stockholders and meet other specific requirements. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will be subject to federal and state income tax (including any applicable alternative minimum tax) on our taxable income at regular corporate tax rates, and we may be ineligible to qualify as a REIT for four subsequent tax years. Even if we qualify as a REIT, we may be subject to certain state or local income taxes, and our taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”) will be subject to federal, state and local taxes on its income at regular corporate rates.

The Company holds its facilities and conducts its operations through the Operating Partnership. The Company serves as the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership through the GP. As of December 31, 2016, the Company was the 97.7% limited partner of the Operating Partnership, with the remaining 2.3% owned by the holders of long term incentive plan (“LTIP”) units issued by the Operating Partnership as incentive equity awards. The Company intends to conduct all future acquisition activity and operations through the Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership has separate wholly-owned Delaware limited liability company subsidiaries that were formed for each healthcare facility acquisition.

Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “NYSE.” Our principal executive offices are located at 4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 450, Bethesda MD, 20814. Our telephone number is (202) 524-6851. Our website is located at http://www.globalmedicalreit.com. The information found on, or otherwise accessible through, our website is not incorporated into, and does not form a part of, this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement or any other report or document we file with or furnish to the SEC.

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RISK FACTORS

Before purchasing any securities offered by this prospectus, you should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference into this prospectus from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, as amended by Amendment No. 2 thereto, the risks, uncertainties and additional information set forth in our SEC reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and in the other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and any risks described in any accompanying prospectus supplement. For a description of these reports and documents, and information about where you can find them, see “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by Reference of Information Filed with the SEC.” Additional risks not presently known or that are currently deemed immaterial could also materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, business and prospects.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise set forth in a prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the offering by us of securities under this prospectus for general corporate purposes, including funding acquisitions, repayment of indebtedness and working capital. Further details relating to the use of the net proceeds from the offering of securities under this prospectus will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

Although the following summary describes the material terms of our capital stock, it is not a complete description of Maryland law or of our charter and bylaws, which are incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s SEC filings. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”

General

Our charter provides that we may issue up to 510,000,000 shares of capital stock, consisting of 500,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share. As of June 14, 2017, there were 17,605,675 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding and no shares of our preferred stock outstanding. As of December 31, 2016, 18,020,179 shares of common stock would be issued and outstanding on a fully diluted basis (assuming conversion of all vested and unvested LTIP units that were outstanding as of December 31, 2016 into shares of our common stock). Our charter authorizes the board of directors of the Company (the “Board of Directors”) to amend our charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares or the number of shares of any class or series without stockholder approval. Under Maryland law, stockholders generally are not liable for a corporation’s debts or obligations.

Common Stock

Subject to the preferential rights, if any, of holders of any other class or series of stock and to the provisions of our charter regarding restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, holders of our common stock:

have the right to receive ratably any distributions from funds legally available therefor, when, as and if authorized by our Board of Directors and declared by us; and
are entitled to share ratably in the assets of our company legally available for distribution to the holders of our common stock in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs.

There are generally no redemption, sinking fund, conversion, preemptive or appraisal rights with respect to our common stock.

Subject to the provisions of our charter regarding restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock and except as may otherwise be specified in the terms of any class or series of stock, each outstanding share of our common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, including the election of directors, and, except as may be provided with respect to any other class or series of stock, the holders of such shares will possess the exclusive voting power. There is no cumulative voting in the election of our directors, and directors will be elected by a plurality of all the votes cast in the election of directors. Consequently, at each annual meeting of stockholders, the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock can elect all of the directors then standing for election, and the holders of the remaining shares will not be able to elect any directors.

Preferred Stock

Our Board of Directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock in one or more classes or series and may determine, with respect to any such class or series, the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of the preferred stock of that class or series, including:

distribution rights;
conversion rights;
voting rights;
redemption rights and terms of redemptions; and
liquidation preferences.

The preferred stock we may offer from time to time under this prospectus, when issued, will be duly authorized, fully paid and nonassessable, and holders of preferred stock will not have any preemptive rights.

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The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control or other transaction that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders. In addition, any preferred stock that we issue could rank senior to our common stock with respect to the payment of distributions, in which case we could not pay any distributions on our common stock until full distributions have been paid with respect to such preferred stock.

The preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends, qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption of each class or series of preferred stock will be fixed by articles supplementary relating to the class or series. We will describe the specific terms of the particular series of preferred stock in the prospectus supplement relating to that series, which terms will include:

the designation and par value of the preferred stock;
the voting rights, if any, of the preferred stock;
the number of shares of preferred stock offered, the liquidation preference per share of preferred stock and the offering price of the preferred stock;
the distribution rate(s), period(s) and payment date(s) or method(s) of calculation applicable to the preferred stock;
whether distributions will be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date(s) from which distributions on the preferred stock will cumulate;
the procedures for any auction and remarketing for the preferred stock, if applicable;
the provision for a sinking fund, if any, for the preferred stock;
the provision for, and any restriction on, redemption, if applicable, of the preferred stock;
the provision for, and any restriction on, repurchase, if applicable, of the preferred stock;
the terms and provisions, if any, upon which the preferred stock will be convertible into common stock, including the conversion price (or manner or calculation) and conversion period;
the terms under which the rights of the preferred stock may be modified, if applicable;
the relative ranking and preferences of the preferred stock as to distribution rights and rights upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs;
any limitation on issuance of any other series of preferred stock, including any series of preferred stock ranking senior to or on parity with the series of preferred stock as to distribution rights and rights upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs;
any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange;
if appropriate, a discussion of any additional material federal income tax considerations applicable to the preferred stock;
information with respect to book-entry procedures, if applicable;
in addition to those restrictions described below, any other restrictions on the ownership and transfer of the preferred stock; and
any additional rights, preferences, privileges or restrictions of the preferred stock.

Power to Reclassify and Issue Stock

Our Board of Directors may classify any unissued shares of preferred stock, and reclassify any unissued shares of our common stock or any previously classified but unissued shares of preferred stock into other classes or series of stock, including one or more classes or series of stock that have priority over our common stock with respect to voting rights or distributions or upon liquidation, and authorize us to issue the newly classified shares. Prior to the issuance of shares of each class or series, our Board of Directors is required by the Maryland General Corporation Law, or the MGCL, and our charter to set, subject to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, the preferences, conversion or other

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rights, voting powers, restrictions (including, without limitation, restrictions on ownership and transfer), limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption for each such class or series. These actions can be taken without stockholder approval, unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law, the terms of any other class or series of our stock or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our stock may be then listed or quoted.

Power to Increase or Decrease Authorized Stock and Issue Additional Shares of Our Common and Preferred Stock

Our charter authorizes our Board of Directors, with the approval of a majority of the entire board, to amend our charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares of stock or the number of authorized shares of stock of any class or series without stockholder approval. We believe that the power of our Board of Directors to increase or decrease the number of authorized shares of stock and to classify or reclassify unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock and thereafter to cause us to issue such shares of stock will provide us with increased flexibility in structuring possible future financings and acquisitions and in meeting other needs which might arise. The additional classes or series, as well as the additional shares of stock, will be available for issuance without further action by our stockholders, unless such action is required by applicable law, the terms of any other class or series of stock or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our securities may be listed or traded. Although our Board of Directors does not intend to do so, it could authorize us to issue a class or series that could, depending upon the terms of the particular class or series, delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control of our company that might involve a premium price for our stockholders or otherwise be in their best interests. No shares of preferred stock are presently outstanding, and we have no present plans to issue any shares of preferred stock.

Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer

In order to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, our shares of stock must be beneficially owned by 100 or more persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made) or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Also, not more than 50% of the value of our outstanding shares of capital stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code to include certain entities) during the last half of a taxable year (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made).

Because our Board of Directors believes it is at present in our best interests for us to qualify as a REIT, among other purposes, our charter, subject to certain exceptions, contains restrictions on the number of shares of our stock that a person may own. Our charter provides that, subject to certain exceptions, no person may beneficially or constructively own more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock, or the Ownership Limit.

Our charter also prohibits any person from:

beneficially or constructively owning or transferring shares of our capital stock if such ownership or transfer would result in our being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of a year);
transferring shares of our capital stock if such transfer would result in our capital stock being owned by fewer than 100 persons, effective beginning on the date on which we first have 100 stockholders;
beneficially or constructively owning shares of our capital stock to the extent such beneficial or constructive ownership would cause us to constructively own 10% or more of the ownership interests in a tenant (other than a taxable REIT subsidiary) of our real property within the meaning of Section 856(d)(2)(B) of the Code; or
beneficially or constructively owning or transferring shares of our capital stock if such beneficial or constructive ownership or transfer would otherwise cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT under the Code.

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Our Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may exempt (prospectively or retroactively) a person from the 9.8% ownership limit and other restrictions in our charter and may establish or increase an excepted holder percentage limit for such person if our Board of Directors obtains such representations, covenants and undertakings as it deems appropriate in order to conclude that granting the exemption and/or establishing or increasing the excepted holder percentage limit will not cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT. Our Board of Directors may require a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, or an opinion of counsel, in either case in form and substance satisfactory to our Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, in order to determine or ensure our status as a REIT.

Any attempted transfer of shares of our capital stock which, if effective, would violate any of the restrictions described above will result in the number of shares of our capital stock causing the violation (rounded up to the nearest whole share) to be automatically transferred to a trust for the exclusive benefit of one or more charitable beneficiaries, except that any transfer that results in the violation of the restriction relating to shares of our capital stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons will be void ab initio. In either case, the proposed transferee will not acquire any rights in those shares. The automatic transfer will be deemed to be effective as of the close of business on the business day prior to the date of the purported transfer or other event that results in the transfer to the trust. Shares held in the trust will be issued and outstanding shares. The proposed transferee will not benefit economically from ownership of any shares held in the trust, will have no rights to dividends or other distributions and will have no rights to vote or other rights attributable to the shares held in the trust. The trustee of the trust will have all voting rights and rights to dividends or other distributions with respect to shares held in the trust. These rights will be exercised for the exclusive benefit of the charitable beneficiary. Any dividend or other distribution paid prior to our discovery that shares have been transferred to the trust will be paid by the recipient to the trustee upon demand. Any dividend or other distribution authorized but unpaid will be paid when due to the trustee. Any dividend or other distribution paid to the trustee will be held in trust for the charitable beneficiary. Subject to Maryland law, the trustee will have the authority (in the trustee’s sole discretion) (1) to rescind as void any vote cast by the proposed transferee prior to our discovery that the shares have been transferred to the trust and (2) to recast the vote in accordance with the desires of the trustee acting for the benefit of the charitable beneficiary. However, if we have already taken irreversible corporate action, then the trustee will not have the authority to rescind and recast the vote.

Within 20 days of receiving notice from us that shares of our stock have been transferred to the trust, the trustee will sell the shares to a person, designated by the trustee, whose ownership of the shares will not violate the above ownership and transfer limitations. Upon the sale, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the proposed transferee and to the charitable beneficiary as follows. The proposed transferee will receive the lesser of (1) the price paid by the proposed transferee for the shares or, if the proposed transferee did not give value for the shares in connection with the event causing the shares to be held in the trust (e.g., a gift, devise or other similar transaction), the market price (as defined in our charter) of the shares on the day of the event causing the shares to be held in the trust and (2) the price per share received by the trustee (net of any commission and other expenses of sale) from the sale or other disposition of the shares. The trustee may reduce the amount payable to the proposed transferee by the amount of dividends and other distributions that have been paid to the proposed transferee and are owed by the proposed transferee to the trustee. Any net sale proceeds in excess of the amount payable to the proposed transferee will be paid immediately to the charitable beneficiary. If, prior to our discovery that shares of our stock have been transferred to the trust, the shares are sold by the proposed transferee, then (1) the shares shall be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the trust and (2) to the extent that the proposed transferee received an amount for the shares that exceeds the amount he or she was entitled to receive, the excess shall be paid to the trustee upon demand.

In addition, shares of our stock held in the trust will be deemed to have been offered for sale to us, or our designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of (1) the price per share in the transaction that resulted in the transfer to the trust (or, in the case of a devise or gift, the market price at the time of the devise or gift) and (2) the market price on the date we, or our designee, accept the offer, which we may reduce by the amount of dividends and distributions that have been paid to the proposed transferee and are owed by the proposed transferee to the trustee. We will have the right to accept the offer until the trustee has sold the

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shares. Upon a sale to us, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the proposed transferee.

If a transfer to a charitable trust, as described above, would be ineffective for any reason to prevent a violation of a restriction, the transfer that would have resulted in a violation will be void ab initio, and the proposed transferee shall acquire no rights in those shares.

Any certificate representing shares of our capital stock, and any notices delivered in lieu of certificates with respect to the issuance or transfer of uncertificated shares, will bear a legend referring to the restrictions described above. We do not expect to issue certificates representing shares of our capital stock.

Any person who acquires or attempts or intends to acquire beneficial or constructive ownership of shares of our capital stock that will or may violate any of the foregoing restrictions on ownership and transfer, or any person who would have owned shares of our capital stock that resulted in a transfer of shares to a charitable trust, is required to give written notice immediately to us, or in the case of a proposed or attempted transaction, to give at least 15 days’ prior written notice, and provide us with such other information as we may request in order to determine the effect of the transfer on our status as a REIT. The foregoing restrictions on ownership and transfer will not apply if our Board of Directors determines that it is no longer in our best interests to attempt to qualify, or to continue to qualify, as a REIT or that compliance with the restrictions is no longer necessary in order for us to qualify as a REIT.

Every owner of more than 5% (or any lower percentage as required by the Code or the regulations promulgated thereunder) in number or value of the outstanding shares of our capital stock, within 30 days after the end of each taxable year, is required to give us written notice, stating his or her name and address, the number of shares of each class and series of shares of our capital stock that he or she beneficially owns and a description of the manner in which the shares are held. Each of these owners must provide us with additional information that we may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of his or her beneficial ownership on our status as a REIT and to ensure compliance with the ownership limitations. In addition, each stockholder will upon demand be required to provide us with information that we may request in good faith in order to determine our status as a REIT and to comply with the requirements of any taxing authority or governmental authority or to determine our compliance.

These ownership limitations could delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for shares of our capital stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

General

The debt securities offered by this prospectus will be our direct unsecured general obligations. This prospectus describes certain general terms of the debt securities offered through this prospectus. In the following discussion, we refer to any of our direct unsecured general obligations as the “Debt Securities.” When we offer to sell a particular series of Debt Securities, we will describe the specific terms of that series in a prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus. The Debt Securities will be issued under an open-ended Indenture (for Debt Securities) between us and a trustee to be elected by us at or about the time we offer our Debt Securities. The open-ended Indenture (for Debt Securities) is incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement. In this prospectus we refer to the Indenture (for Debt Securities) as the “Debt Securities Indenture.” We refer to the trustee under any Debt Securities Indenture as the “Debt Securities Trustee.”

The prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus applicable to a particular series of Debt Securities may state that a particular series of Debt Securities will be our subordinated obligations. The form of Debt Securities Indenture referred to above includes optional provisions (designated by brackets (“[    ]”)) that we would expect to appear in a separate indenture for subordinated debt securities in the event we issue subordinated debt securities. In the following discussion, we refer to any of our subordinated obligations as the “Subordinated Debt Securities.” Unless the applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus provides otherwise, we will use a separate Debt Securities Indenture for any Subordinated Debt Securities that we may issue. Our Debt Securities Indenture will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”), and you should refer to the Trust Indenture Act for the provisions that apply to the Debt Securities.

We have summarized selected provisions of the Debt Securities Indenture below. Each Debt Securities Indenture will be independent of any other Debt Securities Indenture unless otherwise stated in a prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus. The summary that follows is not complete and the summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the provisions of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture. You should consult the applicable Debt Securities, Debt Securities Indenture, any supplemental indentures, officers’ certificates and other related documents for more complete information on the Debt Securities. These documents appear as exhibits to, or are incorporated by reference into, the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will appear as exhibits to other documents that we will file with the SEC, which will be incorporated by reference into this prospectus. In the summary below, we have included references to applicable section numbers of the Debt Securities Indenture so that you can easily locate these provisions.

Ranking

Our Debt Securities that are not designated Subordinated Debt Securities will be effectively subordinated to all secured indebtedness that we have outstanding from time to time to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such secured indebtedness. Our Debt Securities that are designated Subordinated Debt Securities will be subordinate to all outstanding secured indebtedness as well as Debt Securities that are not designated Subordinated Debt Securities. The Indenture (for Debt Securities) does not limit the amount of secured indebtedness that we may issue or incur.

We conduct substantially all of our operations, and make substantially all of our investments, through our operating partnership and its subsidiaries. Our ability to meet our financial obligations with respect to any future Debt Securities, and cash needs generally, is dependent on our operating cash flow, our ability to access various sources of short- and long-term liquidity, including our bank facilities, the capital markets and distributions from our subsidiaries. Holders of our Debt Securities will effectively have a junior position to claims of creditors of our subsidiaries, including trade creditors, debt holders, secured creditors, taxing authorities and guarantee holders.

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Provisions of a Particular Series

The Debt Securities may from time to time be issued in one or more series. You should consult the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus relating to any particular series of Debt Securities for the following information:

the title of the Debt Securities;
any limit on aggregate principal amount of the Debt Securities or the series of which they are a part;
the date(s), or method for determining the date(s), on which the principal of the Debt Securities will be payable;
the rate, including the method of determination if applicable, at which the Debt Securities will bear interest, if any, and
the date from which any interest will accrue;
the dates on which we will pay interest;
our ability to defer interest payments and any related restrictions during any interest deferral period; and
the record date for any interest payable on any interest payment date;
the place where:
the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Debt Securities will be payable;
you may register transfer of the Debt Securities;
you may exchange the Debt Securities; and
you may serve notices and demands upon us regarding the Debt Securities;
the security registrar for the Debt Securities and whether the principal of the Debt Securities is payable without presentment or surrender of them;
the terms and conditions upon which we may elect to redeem any Debt Securities, including any replacement capital or similar covenants limiting our ability to redeem any Subordinated Debt Securities;
the denominations in which we may issue Debt Securities, if other than $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000;
the terms and conditions upon which the Debt Securities must be redeemed or purchased due to our obligations pursuant to any sinking fund or other mandatory redemption or tender provisions, or at the holder’s option, including any applicable exceptions to notice requirements;
the currency, if other than United States currency, in which payments on the Debt Securities will be payable;
the terms according to which elections can be made by us or the holder regarding payments on the Debt Securities in currency other than the currency in which the Debt Securities are stated to be payable;
if payments are to be made on the Debt Securities in securities or other property, the type and amount of the securities and other property or the method by which the amount shall be determined;
the manner in which we will determine any amounts payable on the Debt Securities that are to be determined with reference to an index or other fact or event ascertainable outside the applicable indenture;
if other than the entire principal amount, the portion of the principal amount of the Debt Securities payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity;

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any addition to the events of default applicable to any Debt Securities and any additions to our covenants for the benefit of the holders of the Debt Securities;
the terms applicable to any rights to convert Debt Securities into or exchange them for other of our securities or those of any other entity;
whether we are issuing Debt Securities as global securities, and if so,
any limitations on transfer or exchange rights or the right to obtain the registration of transfer;
any limitations on the right to obtain definitive certificates for the Debt Securities; and
any other matters incidental to the Debt Securities;
whether we are issuing the Debt Securities as bearer securities;
any limitations on transfer or exchange of Debt Securities or the right to obtain registration of their transfer, and the terms and amount of any service charge required for registration of transfer or exchange;
any exceptions to the provisions governing payments due on legal holidays, or any variations in the definition of business day with respect to the Debt Securities;
any collateral security, assurance, guarantee or other credit enhancement applicable to the Debt Securities;
any other terms of the Debt Securities not in conflict with the provisions of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture; and
the material federal income tax consequences applicable to the Debt Securities.

For more information, see Section 301 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

Debt Securities may be sold at a substantial discount below their principal amount. You should consult the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus for a description of certain material federal income tax considerations that may apply to Debt Securities sold at an original issue discount or denominated in a currency other than dollars.

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus states otherwise, the covenants contained in the applicable indenture will not afford holders of Debt Securities protection in the event we have a change in control or are involved in a highly-leveraged transaction.

Subordination

The applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may provide that a series of Debt Securities will be Subordinated Debt Securities, subordinate and junior in right of payment to all of our Senior Indebtedness, as defined below. If so, we will issue these securities under a separate Debt Securities Indenture for Subordinated Debt Securities. For more information, see Article XV of the form of Debt Securities Indenture.

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus states otherwise, no payment of principal of, including redemption and sinking fund payments, or any premium or interest on, the Subordinated Debt Securities may be made if:

there occur certain acts of bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, dissolution or other winding up of our company;
any Senior Indebtedness is not paid when due;
any applicable grace period with respect to other defaults with respect to any Senior Indebtedness has ended, the default has not been cured or waived and the maturity of such Senior Indebtedness has been accelerated because of the default; or
the maturity of the Subordinated Debt Securities of any series has been accelerated because of a default and Senior Indebtedness is then outstanding.

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Upon any distribution of our assets to creditors upon any dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization, whether voluntary or involuntary or in bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other proceedings, all principal of, and any premium and interest due or to become due on, all outstanding Senior Indebtedness must be paid in full before the holders of the Subordinated Debt Securities are entitled to payment. For more information, see Section 1502 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture. The rights of the holders of the Subordinated Debt Securities will be subrogated to the rights of the holders of Senior Indebtedness to receive payments or distributions applicable to Senior Indebtedness until all amounts owing on the Subordinated Debt Securities are paid in full. For more information, see Section 1504 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus states otherwise, the term “Senior Indebtedness” means all obligations (other than non-recourse obligations and the indebtedness issued under the Subordinated Debt Securities Indenture) of, or guaranteed or assumed by, us:

for borrowed money (including both senior and subordinated indebtedness for borrowed money, but excluding the Subordinated Debt Securities);
for the payment of money relating to any lease that is capitalized on our consolidated balance sheet in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; or
indebtedness evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or other similar instruments.

In the case of any such indebtedness or obligations, Senior Indebtedness includes amendments, renewals, extensions, modifications and refundings, whether existing as of the date of the Subordinated Debt Securities Indenture or subsequently incurred by us.

The Subordinated Debt Securities Indenture does not limit the aggregate amount of Senior Indebtedness that we may issue.

Form, Exchange and Transfer

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus states otherwise, we will issue Debt Securities only in fully registered form without coupons and in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of that amount. For more information, see Sections 201 and 302 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

Holders may present Debt Securities for exchange or for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or accompanied by a duly executed instrument of transfer, at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent we may designate. Exchanges and transfers are subject to the terms of the applicable indenture and applicable limitations for global securities. We may designate ourselves the security registrar.

No charge will be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of Debt Securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that the holder must pay in connection with the transaction. Any transfer or exchange will become effective upon the security registrar or transfer agent, as the case may be, being satisfied with the documents of title and identity of the person making the request. For more information, see Section 305 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

The applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus will state the name of any transfer agent, in addition to the security registrar initially designated by us, for any Debt Securities. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or withdraw the designation of any transfer agent or make a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts. We must, however, maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the Debt Securities of each series. For more information, see Section 602 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

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We will not be required to:

issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any Debt Securities or any tranche of any Debt Securities during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any Debt Securities called for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of mailing; or
register the transfer of, or exchange any Debt Securities selected for redemption except the unredeemed portion of any Debt Securities being partially redeemed.

For more information, see Section 305 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

Payment and Paying Agents

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus states otherwise, we will pay interest on a Debt Security on any interest payment date to the person in whose name the Debt Security is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for the interest payment. For more information, see Section 307 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus provides otherwise, we will pay principal and any premium and interest on Debt Securities at the office of the paying agent whom we will designate for this purpose. Unless the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus states otherwise, the corporate trust office of the Debt Securities Trustee in New York City will be designated as our sole paying agent for payments with respect to Debt Securities of each series. Any other paying agents initially designated by us for the Debt Securities of a particular series will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. We may at any time add or delete paying agents or change the office through which any paying agent acts. We must, however, maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the Debt Securities of a particular series. For more information, see Section 602 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

All money we pay to a paying agent for the payment of the principal and any premium or interest on any Debt Security that remains unclaimed at the end of two years after payment is due will be repaid to us. After that date, the holder of that Debt Security shall be deemed an unsecured general creditor and may look only to us for these payments. For more information, see Section 603 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

Redemption

You should consult the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus for any terms regarding optional or mandatory redemption of Debt Securities. Except for any provisions in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus regarding Debt Securities redeemable at the holder’s option, Debt Securities may be redeemed only upon notice by mail not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the redemption date. Further, if less than all of the Debt Securities of a series, or any tranche of a series, are to be redeemed, the Debt Securities to be redeemed will be selected by the method provided for the particular series. In the absence of a selection provision, the Debt Securities Trustee will select a fair and appropriate method of selection. For more information, see Sections 403 and 404 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

A notice of redemption we provide may state:

that redemption is conditioned upon receipt by the paying agent on or before the redemption date of money sufficient to pay the principal of and any premium and interest on the Debt Securities; and
that if the money has not been received, the notice will be ineffective and we will not be required to redeem the Debt Securities.

For more information, see Section 404 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

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Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

We may not consolidate with or merge into any other person, nor may we transfer or lease substantially all of our assets and property to any other person, unless:

the corporation formed by the consolidation or into which we are merged, or the person that acquires by conveyance or transfer, or that leases, substantially all of our property and assets:
is organized and validly existing under the laws of any domestic jurisdiction; and
expressly assumes by supplemental indenture our obligations on the Debt Securities and under the applicable indentures;
immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no event of default, and no event that would become an event of default, has occurred and is continuing; and
we have delivered to the Debt Securities Trustee an officer’s certificate and opinion of counsel as provided in the applicable indentures.

For more information, see Section 1101 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

Events of Default

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus states otherwise, “event of default” under the applicable indenture with respect to Debt Securities of any series means any of the following:

failure to pay any interest due on any Debt Security of that series within 30 days after it becomes due;
failure to pay principal or premium, if any, when due on any Debt Security of that series;
failure to make any required sinking fund payment on any Debt Securities of that series;
breach of or failure to perform any other covenant or warranty in the applicable indenture with respect to Debt Securities of that series for 60 days (subject to extension under certain circumstances for another 120 days) after we receive notice from the Debt Securities Trustee, or we and the Debt Securities Trustee receive notice from the holders of at least 33% in principal amount of the Debt Securities of that series outstanding under the applicable indenture according to the provisions of the applicable indenture;
certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization; or
any other event of default set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus.

For more information, see Section 801 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

An event of default with respect to a particular series of Debt Securities does not necessarily constitute an event of default with respect to the Debt Securities of any other series issued under the applicable indenture.

If an event of default with respect to a particular series of Debt Securities occurs and is continuing, either the Debt Securities Trustee or the holders of at least 33% in principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of that series may declare the principal amount of all of the Debt Securities of that series to be due and payable immediately. If the Debt Securities of that series are discount securities or similar Debt Securities, only the portion of the principal amount as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may be immediately due and payable. If an event of default occurs and is continuing with respect to all series of Debt Securities issued under a Debt Securities Indenture, including all events of default relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the Debt Securities Trustee or the holders of at least 33% in principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of all series issued under that Debt Securities

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Indenture, considered together, may declare an acceleration of the principal amount of all series of Debt Securities issued under that Debt Securities Indenture. There is no automatic acceleration, even in the event of our bankruptcy or insolvency.

The applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may provide, with respect to a series of Debt Securities to which a credit enhancement is applicable, that the provider of the credit enhancement may, if a default has occurred and is continuing with respect to the series, have all or any part of the rights with respect to remedies that would otherwise have been exercisable by the holder of that series.

At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to the Debt Securities of a particular series, and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained, the event of default giving rise to the declaration of acceleration will, without further action, be deemed to have been waived, and the declaration and its consequences will be deemed to have been rescinded and annulled, if:

we have paid or deposited with the Debt Securities Trustee a sum sufficient to pay:
all overdue interest on all Debt Securities of the particular series;
the principal of and any premium on any Debt Securities of that series that have become due otherwise than by the declaration of acceleration and any interest at the rate prescribed in the Debt Securities;
interest upon overdue interest at the rate prescribed in the Debt Securities, to the extent payment is lawful; and
all amounts due to the Debt Securities Trustee under the applicable indenture; and
any other event of default with respect to the Debt Securities of the particular series, other than the failure to pay the principal of the Debt Securities of that series that has become due solely by the declaration of acceleration, has been cured or waived as provided in the applicable indenture.

For more information, see Section 802 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

The applicable Debt Securities Indenture includes provisions as to the duties of the Debt Securities Trustee in case an event of default occurs and is continuing. Consistent with these provisions, the Debt Securities Trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers at the request or direction of any of the holders unless those holders have offered to the Debt Securities Trustee reasonable indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that may be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction. For more information, see Section 903 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture. Subject to these provisions for indemnification, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of any series may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Debt Securities Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Debt Securities Trustee, with respect to the Debt Securities of that series. For more information, see Section 812 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

No holder of Debt Securities may institute any proceeding regarding the applicable indenture, or for the appointment of a receiver or a trustee, or for any other remedy under the applicable indenture unless:

the holder has previously given to the Debt Securities Trustee written notice of a continuing event of default of that particular series;
the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of all series with respect to which an event of default is continuing have made a written request to the Debt Securities Trustee, and have offered reasonable indemnity to the Debt Securities Trustee, to institute the proceeding as trustee; and
the Debt Securities Trustee has failed to institute the proceeding, and has not received from the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of that series a direction inconsistent with the request, within 60 days after notice, request and offer of reasonable indemnity.

For more information, see Section 807 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

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The preceding limitations do not apply, however, to a suit instituted by a holder of a Debt Security for the enforcement of payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on the Debt Securities on or after the applicable due date stated in the Debt Securities. For more information, see Section 808 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

We must furnish annually to the Debt Securities Trustee a statement by an appropriate officer as to that officer’s knowledge of our compliance with all conditions and covenants under each of the indentures for Debt Securities. Our compliance is to be determined without regard to any grace period or notice requirement under the respective indenture. For more information, see Section 606 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

Modification and Waiver

We and the Debt Securities Trustee, without the consent of the holders of the Debt Securities, may enter into one or more supplemental indentures for any of the following purposes:

to evidence the assumption by any permitted successor of our covenants in the applicable indenture and the Debt Securities;
to add one or more covenants or other provisions for the benefit of the holders of outstanding Debt Securities or to surrender any right or power conferred upon us by the applicable indenture;
to add any additional events of default;
to change or eliminate any provision of the applicable indenture or add any new provision to it, but if this action would adversely affect the interests of the holders of any particular series of Debt Securities in any material respect, the action will not become effective with respect to that series while any Debt Securities of that series remain outstanding under the applicable indenture;
to provide collateral security for the Debt Securities;
to establish the form or terms of Debt Securities according to the provisions of the applicable indenture;
to evidence the acceptance of appointment of a successor Debt Securities Trustee under the applicable indenture with respect to one or more series of the Debt Securities and to add to or change any of the provisions of the applicable indenture as necessary to provide for trust administration under the applicable indenture by more than one trustee;
to provide for the procedures required to permit the use of a non-certificated system of registration for any series of Debt Securities;
to change any place where:
the principal of and any premium and interest on any Debt Securities are payable;
any Debt Securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange; or
notices and demands to or upon us regarding Debt Securities and the applicable indentures may be served; or
to cure any ambiguity or inconsistency, but only by means of changes or additions that will not adversely affect the interests of the holders of Debt Securities of any series in any material respect.

For more information, see Section 1201 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

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The holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of any series may waive:

compliance by us with certain provisions of the applicable indenture (see Section 607 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture); and
any past default under the applicable indenture, except a default in the payment of principal, premium, or interest and certain covenants and provisions of the applicable indenture that cannot be modified or amended without consent of the holder of each outstanding Debt Security of the series affected (see Section 813 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture).

The Trust Indenture Act of 1939 may be amended after the date of the applicable indenture to require changes to the indenture. In this event, the indenture will be deemed to have been amended so as to effect the changes, and we and the Debt Securities Trustee may, without the consent of any holders, enter into one or more supplemental indentures to evidence or effect the amendment. For more information, see Section 1201 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

Except as provided in this section, the consent of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities issued pursuant to a Debt Securities Indenture, considered as one class, is required to change in any manner the applicable indenture pursuant to one or more supplemental indentures. If less than all of the series of Debt Securities outstanding under a Debt Securities Indenture are directly affected by a proposed supplemental indenture, however, only the consent of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of all series directly affected, considered as one class, will be required. Furthermore, if the Debt Securities of any series have been issued in more than one tranche and if the proposed supplemental indenture directly affects the rights of the holders of one or more, but not all, tranches, only the consent of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of all tranches directly affected, considered as one class, will be required. In addition, an amendment or modification:

may not, without the consent of the holder of each outstanding Debt Security affected:
change the maturity of the principal of, or any installment of principal of or interest on, any Debt Securities;
reduce the principal amount or the rate of interest, or the amount of any installment of interest, or change the method of calculating the rate of interest;
reduce any premium payable upon the redemption of the Debt Securities;
reduce the amount of the principal of any Debt Security originally issued at a discount from the stated principal amount that would be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of maturity;
change the currency or other property in which a Debt Security or premium or interest on a Debt Security is payable; or
impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on or after the stated maturity, or in the case of redemption, on or after the redemption date, of any Debt Securities;
may not reduce the percentage of principal amount requirement for consent of the holders for any supplemental indenture, or for any waiver of compliance with any provision of or any default under the applicable indenture, or reduce the requirements for quorum or voting, without the consent of the holder of each outstanding Debt Security of each series or tranche affected; and
may not modify provisions of the applicable indenture relating to supplemental indentures, waivers of certain covenants and waivers of past defaults with respect to the Debt Securities of any series, or any tranche of a series, without the consent of the holder of each outstanding Debt Security affected.

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A supplemental indenture will be deemed not to affect the rights under the applicable indenture of the holders of any series or tranche of the Debt Securities if the supplemental indenture:

changes or eliminates any covenant or other provision of the applicable indenture expressly included solely for the benefit of one or more other particular series of Debt Securities or tranches thereof; or
modifies the rights of the holders of Debt Securities of any other series or tranches with respect to any covenant or other provision.

For more information, see Section 1202 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

If we solicit from holders of the Debt Securities any type of action, we may at our option by board resolution fix in advance a record date for the determination of the holders entitled to vote on the action. We shall have no obligation, however, to do so. If we fix a record date, the action may be taken before or after the record date, but only the holders of record at the close of business on the record date shall be deemed to be holders for the purposes of determining whether holders of the requisite proportion of the outstanding Debt Securities have authorized the action. For that purpose, the outstanding Debt Securities shall be computed as of the record date. Any holder action shall bind every future holder of the same security and the holder of every security issued upon the registration of transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of the security in respect of anything done or permitted by the Debt Securities Trustee or us in reliance on that action, whether or not notation of the action is made upon the security. For more information, see Section 104 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

Defeasance

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus provides otherwise, any Debt Security, or portion of the principal amount of a Debt Security, will be deemed to have been paid for purposes of the applicable indenture, and, at our election, our entire indebtedness in respect of the Debt Security, or portion thereof, will be deemed to have been satisfied and discharged, if we have irrevocably deposited with the Debt Securities Trustee or any paying agent other than us, in trust money, certain eligible obligations, as defined in the applicable indenture, or a combination of the two, sufficient to pay principal of and any premium and interest due and to become due on the Debt Security or portion thereof. For more information, see Section 701 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture. For this purpose, unless the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus provides otherwise, eligible obligations include direct obligations of, or obligations unconditionally guaranteed by, the United States, entitled to the benefit of full faith and credit of the United States, and certificates, depositary receipts or other instruments that evidence a direct ownership interest in those obligations or in any specific interest or principal payments due in respect of those obligations.

Resignation, Removal of Debt Securities Trustee; Appointment of Successor

The Debt Securities Trustee may resign at any time by giving written notice to us or may be removed at any time by an action of the holders of a majority in principal amount of outstanding Debt Securities delivered to the Debt Securities Trustee and us. No resignation or removal of the Debt Securities Trustee and no appointment of a successor trustee will become effective until a successor trustee accepts appointment in accordance with the requirements of the applicable indenture. So long as no event of default or event that would become an event of default has occurred and is continuing, and except with respect to a Debt Securities Trustee appointed by an action of the holders, if we have delivered to the Debt Securities Trustee a resolution of our board of trustees appointing a successor trustee and the successor trustee has accepted the appointment in accordance with the terms of the applicable indenture, the Debt Securities Trustee will be deemed to have resigned and the successor trustee will be deemed to have been appointed as trustee in accordance with the applicable indenture. For more information, see Section 910 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

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Notices

We will give notices to holders of Debt Securities by mail to their addresses as they appear in the Debt Security Register. For more information, see Section 106 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

Title

The Debt Securities Trustee and its agents, and we and our agents, may treat the person in whose name a Debt Security is registered as the absolute owner of that Debt Security, whether or not that Debt Security may be overdue, for the purpose of making payment and for all other purposes. For more information, see Section 308 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

Governing Law

The Debt Securities Indentures and the Debt Securities, including any Subordinated Debt Securities Indentures and Subordinated Debt Securities, will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the law of the State of New York. For more information, see Section 112 of the applicable Debt Securities Indenture.

Description of Senior Revolving Credit Facility

On December 2, 2016, the Company, the Operating Partnership, as borrower, and certain subsidiaries (GMR Asheville LLC, GMR Watertown LLC, GMR Sandusky LLC, GMR East Orange LLC, GMR Omaha LLC, and GMR Reading LLC) (such subsidiaries, the “Subsidiary Guarantors”) of the Operating Partnership entered into a senior revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) with BMO Harris Bank N.A., as Administrative Agent, which initially provided up to $75 million in revolving credit commitments for the Operating Partnership, with an accordion feature that provided the Operating Partnership with additional capacity, subject to the satisfaction of customary terms and conditions, of up to $125 million, for a total facility size of up to $200 million.

On March 3, 2017, the Company, the Operating Partnership and the Subsidiary Guarantors entered into an amendment to the Credit Facility which increased the commitment amount to $200 million plus an accordion feature that allows for up to an additional $50 million of credit commitments, subject to certain terms and conditions.

Amounts outstanding under the amended Credit Facility bear annual interest at a floating rate that is based, at the Operating Partnership’s option, on (i) LIBOR plus 2.00% to 3.00% or (ii) a base rate plus 1.00% to 2.00%, in each case, depending upon the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio. In addition, the Operating Partnership is obligated to pay a quarterly fee equal to a rate per annum equal to (x) 0.20% if the average daily unused commitments are less than 50% of the commitments then in effect and (y) 0.30% if the average daily unused commitments are greater than or equal to 50% of the commitments then in effect and determined based on the average daily unused commitments during such previous quarter.

The Subsidiary Guarantors and the Company are guarantors of the obligations under the amended Credit Facility. The amount available to borrow from time to time under the amended Credit Facility is limited according to a quarterly borrowing base valuation of certain properties owned by the Subsidiary Guarantors. The initial termination date of the amended Credit Facility is December 2, 2019, which could be extended for one year in the case that no event of default occurs.

Under the amended Credit Facility, the Operating Partnership is subject to ongoing compliance with a number of customary affirmative and negative covenants, including limitations with respect to liens, indebtedness, distributions, mergers, consolidations, investments, restricted payments and asset sales. The Operating Partnership must also maintain (i) a maximum consolidated leverage ratio as of the end of each fiscal quarter of less than (y) 0.65:1.00 for each fiscal quarter ending prior to October 1, 2019 and (z) thereafter, 0.60:1.00, (ii) a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.50:1.00, (iii) a minimum net worth of $119,781,219 plus 75% of all net proceeds raised through subsequent equity offerings and (iv) a ratio of total secured recourse debt to total asset value of not greater than 0.10:1.00. As of April 18, 2017, we were in compliance with all of the financial covenants of the amended Credit Facility.

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LEGAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES

We can issue securities in registered form or in the form of one or more global securities. We describe global securities in greater detail below. We refer to those persons who have securities registered in their own names on the books that we or any applicable trustee maintain for this purpose as the “holders” of those securities. These persons are the legal holders of the securities. We refer to those persons who, indirectly through others, own beneficial interests in securities that are not registered in their own names, as “indirect holders” of those securities. As we discuss below, indirect holders are not legal holders, and investors in securities issued in book-entry form or in street name will be indirect holders.

Book-Entry Holders

We may issue securities in book-entry form only, as we will specify in the accompanying prospectus supplement. This means securities may be represented by one or more global securities registered in the name of a financial institution that holds them as depositary on behalf of other financial institutions that participate in the depositary’s book-entry system. These participating institutions, which are referred to as participants, in turn, hold beneficial interests in the securities on behalf of themselves or their customers.

Only the person in whose name a security is registered is recognized as the holder of that security. Securities issued in global form will be registered in the name of the depositary or its participants. Consequently, for securities issued in global form, we will recognize only the depositary as the holder of the securities, and we will make all payments on the securities to the depositary. The depositary passes along the payments it receives to its participants, which in turn pass the payments along to their customers who are the beneficial owners. The depositary and its participants do so under agreements they have made with one another or with their customers; they are not obligated to do so under the terms of the securities.

As a result, investors in a book-entry security will not own securities directly. Instead, they will own beneficial interests in a global security, through a bank, broker or other financial institution that participates in the depositary’s book-entry system or holds an interest through a participant. As long as the securities are issued in global form, investors will be indirect holders, and not holders, of the securities.

Street Name Holders

We may terminate a global security or issue securities in non-global form. In these cases, investors may choose to hold their securities in their own names or in “street name.” Securities held by an investor in street name would be registered in the name of a bank, broker or other financial institution that the investor chooses, and the investor would hold only a beneficial interest in those securities through an account he or she maintains at that institution.

For securities held in street name, we will recognize only the intermediary banks, brokers and other financial institutions in whose names the securities are registered as the holders of those securities, and we will make all payments on those securities to them. These institutions pass along the payments they receive to their customers who are the beneficial owners, but only because they agree to do so in their customer agreements or because they are legally required to do so. Investors who hold securities in street name will be indirect holders, not holders, of those securities.

Legal Holders

Our obligations run only to the legal holders of the securities. We do not have obligations to investors who hold beneficial interests in global securities, in street name or by any other indirect means. This will be the case whether an investor chooses to be an indirect holder of a security or has no choice because we are issuing the securities only in global form. For example, once we make a payment or give a notice to the holder, we have no further responsibility for the payment or notice even if that holder is required, under agreements with depositary participants or customers or by law, to pass it along to the indirect holders but does not do so. Whether and how the holders contact the indirect holders is up to the holders.

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Special Considerations for Indirect Holders

If you hold securities through a bank, broker or other financial institution, either in book-entry form or in street name, you should check with your own institution to find out:

how it handles securities payments and notices;
whether it imposes fees or charges;
how it would handle a request for the holders’ consent, if ever required;
whether and how you can instruct it to send you securities registered in your own name so you can be a holder, if that is permitted in the future;
how it would exercise rights under the securities if there were a default or other event triggering the need for holders to act to protect their interests; and
if the securities are in book-entry form, how the depositary’s rules and procedures will affect these matters.

Global Securities

A global security is a security held by a depositary that represents one or any other number of individual securities. Generally, all securities represented by the same global securities will have the same terms.

Each security issued in book-entry form will be represented by a global security that we deposit with and register in the name of a financial institution or its nominee that we select. The financial institution that we select for this purpose is called the depositary. Unless we specify otherwise in the accompanying prospectus supplement, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, or DTC, will be the depositary for all securities issued in book-entry form.

A global security may not be transferred to or registered in the name of anyone other than the depositary, its nominee or a successor depositary, unless special termination situations arise. We describe those situations below under “— Special Situations When a Global Security Will Be Terminated.” As a result of these arrangements, the depositary, or its nominee, will be the sole registered owner and holder of all securities represented by a global security, and investors will be permitted to own only beneficial interests in a global security. Beneficial interests must be held by means of an account with a broker, bank or other financial institution that in turn has an account with the depositary or with another institution that does. Thus, an investor whose security is represented by a global security will not be a holder of the security, but only an indirect holder of a beneficial interest in the global security.

If the prospectus supplement for a particular security indicates that the security will be issued in global form only, then the security will be represented by a global security at all times unless and until the global security is terminated. If termination occurs, we may issue the securities through another book-entry clearing system or decide that the securities may no longer be held through any book-entry clearing system.

Special Considerations for Global Securities

As an indirect holder, an investor’s rights relating to a global security will be governed by the account rules of the investor’s financial institution and of the depositary, as well as general laws relating to securities transfers. We do not recognize an indirect holder as a holder of securities and instead deal only with the depositary that holds the global security.

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If securities are issued only in the form of a global security, an investor should be aware of the following:

An investor cannot cause the securities to be registered in his or her name, and cannot obtain non-global certificates for his or her interest in the securities, except in the special situations we describe below;
An investor will be an indirect holder and must look to his or her own bank or broker for payments on the securities and protection of his or her legal rights relating to the securities, as we describe under “Legal Ownership of Securities” above;
An investor may not be able to sell interests in the securities to some insurance companies and to other institutions that are required by law to own their securities in non-book-entry form;
An investor may not be able to pledge his or her interest in a global security in circumstances where certificates representing the securities must be delivered to the lender or other beneficiary of the pledge in order for the pledge to be effective;
The depositary’s policies, which may change from time to time, will govern payments, transfers, exchanges and other matters relating to an investor’s interest in a global security. We and any applicable trustee have no responsibility for any aspect of the depositary’s actions or for its records of ownership interests in a global security. We and the trustee also do not supervise the depositary in any way;
The depositary may, and we understand that DTC will, require that those who purchase and sell interests in a global security within its book-entry system use immediately available funds, and your broker or bank may require you to do so as well; and
Financial institutions that participate in the depositary’s book-entry system, and through which an investor holds its interest in a global security, may also have their own policies affecting payments, notices and other matters relating to the securities. There may be more than one financial intermediary in the chain of ownership for an investor. We do not monitor and are not responsible for the actions of any of those intermediaries.

Special Situations When a Global Security Will Be Terminated

In a few special situations described below, the global security will terminate and interests in it will be exchanged for physical certificates representing those interests. After that exchange, the choice of whether to hold securities directly or in street name will be up to the investor. Investors must consult their own banks or brokers to find out how to have their interests in securities transferred to their own name, so that they will be direct holders. We have described the rights of holders and street name investors above.

The global security will terminate when any of the following special situations occur:

if the depositary notifies us that it is unwilling, unable or no longer qualified to continue as depositary for that global security and we do not appoint another institution to act as depositary within 90 days;
if we notify any applicable trustee that we wish to terminate that global security; or
if an event of default has occurred with regard to securities represented by that global security and has not been cured or waived.

The prospectus supplement may also list additional situations for terminating a global security that would apply only to the particular series of securities covered by the prospectus supplement. When a global security terminates, the depositary, and not we or any applicable trustee, is responsible for deciding the names of the institutions that will be the initial direct holders.

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CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW AND OF OUR CHARTER AND BYLAWS

Although the following summary describes certain provisions of Maryland law and of our charter and bylaws, which are incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s SEC filings, it is not a complete description of Maryland law and our charter and bylaws. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”

Number of Directors; Vacancies

Our charter and bylaws provide that the number of directors of our Company will not be less than the minimum number required under the MGCL, which is one, and, unless our bylaws are amended, not more than fifteen, and the number of directors of our company may be increased or decreased pursuant to our bylaws by a vote of the majority of our entire Board of Directors. Our charter provides for an election to be subject to Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL and therefore, subject to the rights of holders of one or more classes or series of preferred stock, any vacancy may be filled only by a majority of the remaining directors, even if the remaining directors do not constitute a quorum, and any director elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the full term of the directorship in which such vacancy occurred and until a successor is elected and qualifies.

Pursuant to our charter and bylaws, each member of our Board of Directors is elected by our stockholders to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies. Directors are elected by a plurality of votes cast. Holders of shares of our common stock have no right to cumulative voting in the election of directors, and directors are elected by a plurality of all the votes cast in the election of directors. Consequently, at each annual meeting of stockholders, the holders of a majority of the shares of our common stock will be able to elect all of our directors. The presence in person or by proxy of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at a meeting constitutes a quorum.

Removal of Directors

Our charter provides that, subject to the rights of holders of any series of preferred stock, a director may be removed only for “cause,” and then only by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors. For this purpose, “cause” means, with respect to any particular director, conviction of a felony or a final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction holding that such director caused demonstrable, material harm to us through bad faith or active and deliberate dishonesty. These provisions, when coupled with the exclusive power of our Board of Directors to fill vacancies on our Board of Directors, generally precludes stockholders from (i) removing incumbent directors except for “cause” and with a substantial affirmative vote and (ii) filling the vacancies created by such removal with their own nominees.

Subtitle 8

Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL permits a Maryland corporation with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent directors to elect to be subject, by provision in its charter or bylaws or a resolution of its board of directors and notwithstanding any contrary provision in the charter or bylaws, to any or all of the following five provisions.

a classified board;
a two-thirds vote requirement for removing a director;
a requirement that the number of directors be fixed only by vote of the directors;
a requirement that a vacancy on the board be filled only by the remaining directors and for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred; and
a majority requirement for the calling of a special meeting of stockholders.

Through provisions in our charter and bylaws unrelated to Subtitle 8, we already (1) require the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter for the removal of any director from the Board of Directors, which removal will be allowed only for cause, (2) vest in the Board of Directors the exclusive power to fix the number of directors and (3) require, unless

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called by our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President or the Board of Directors, the request of stockholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of the votes entitled to be cast at such meeting to call a special meeting of stockholders. Our charter contains a provision electing to be subject to the provisions of Subtitle 8 such that all vacancies on our Board of Directors can be filled only by the remaining directors and for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred.

Business Combinations

Under certain provisions of the MGCL applicable to Maryland corporations, certain “business combinations,” including a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in certain circumstances, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities, between a Maryland corporation and an “interested stockholder” or, generally, any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s outstanding voting shares or an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s then outstanding voting stock, or an affiliate of such an interested stockholder, are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. Thereafter, any such business combination must be recommended by the board of directors of such corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least (a) 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock and (b) two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of the corporation’s voting stock other than stock held by the interested stockholder with whom (or with whose affiliate) the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder, unless, among other conditions, the corporation’s stockholders receive a minimum price (as defined in the MGCL) for their shares and the consideration is received in cash or in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares. Under the MGCL, a person is not an “interested stockholder” if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which the person otherwise would have become an interested stockholder. A corporation’s board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance with any terms and conditions determined by it.

These provisions of the MGCL do not apply, however, to business combinations that are approved or exempted by a board of directors prior to the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. Pursuant to the statute, our Board of Directors has by resolution exempted business combinations between us and any other person from these provisions of the MGCL, provided that the business combination is first approved by our Board of Directors, including a majority of directors who are not affiliates or associates of such person, and, consequently, the five year prohibition and the supermajority vote requirements will not apply to such business combinations. As a result, any person may be able to enter into business combinations with us that may not be in the best interests of our stockholders without compliance by us with the supermajority vote requirements and other provisions of the statute. This resolution, however, may be altered or repealed in whole or in part at any time. If this resolution is repealed, or our Board of Directors does not otherwise approve a business combination, the statute may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer.

Control Share Acquisitions

The MGCL provides that “control shares” of a Maryland corporation acquired in a “control share acquisition” have no voting rights except to the extent approved by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding shares of stock in a corporation in respect of which any of the following persons is entitled to exercise or direct the exercise of the voting power of such shares in the election of directors: (1) a person who makes or proposes to make a control share acquisition, (2) an officer of the corporation or (3) an employee of the corporation who is also a director of corporation. “Control shares” are voting shares which, if aggregated with all other such shares owned by the acquirer or in respect of which the acquirer is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of voting power: (A) one-tenth or more but less than one-third, (B) one-third or more but less than a majority or (C) a majority or more of all voting power. Control shares do not include shares that the acquirer is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained stockholder approval. A “control share acquisition” means the acquisition of control shares, subject to certain exceptions.

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A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition, upon satisfaction of certain conditions (including an undertaking to pay expenses), may compel our Board of Directors to call a special meeting of stockholders to be held within 50 days of demand to consider the voting rights of the shares. If no request for a meeting is made, the corporation may itself present the question at any stockholders’ meeting.

If voting rights are not approved at the meeting or if the acquirer does not deliver an acquiring person statement as required by the statute, then, subject to certain conditions and limitations, the corporation may redeem any or all of the control shares (except those for which voting rights have previously been approved) for fair value determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquirer or of any meeting of stockholders at which the voting rights of such shares are considered and not approved. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a stockholders’ meeting and the acquirer becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other stockholders may exercise appraisal rights. The fair value of the shares as determined for purposes of such appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid by the acquirer in the control share acquisition.

The control share acquisition statute does not apply to (a) shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction or (b) acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the corporation.

Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute any and all acquisitions by any person of our shares. There is no assurance that such provision will not be amended or eliminated at any time in the future.

Anti-takeover Effect of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Charter and Bylaws

If the applicable exemption in our bylaws is repealed and the applicable resolution of our Board of Directors is repealed, the control share acquisition provisions and the business combination provisions of the MGCL, respectively, as well as the provisions in our charter and bylaws, as applicable, on removal of directors and the filling of director vacancies and the restrictions on ownership and transfer of stock, together with the advance notice and stockholder-requested special meeting provisions of our bylaws, alone or in combination, could serve to delay, deter or prevent a transaction or a change in our control that might involve a premium price for holders of our shares of common stock or otherwise be in their best interests.

Meetings of Stockholders

Pursuant to our charter and bylaws, a meeting of our stockholders for the purpose of the election of directors and the transaction of any business will be held annually on a date and at the time and place set by our Board of Directors. In addition, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President or Board of Directors may call a special meeting of our stockholders. Our bylaws provide that a special meeting of our stockholders to act on any matter that may properly be considered at a meeting of our stockholders must also be called by our Secretary upon the written request of stockholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on such matter at the meeting complying with our bylaws and containing the information required by our bylaws.

Mergers; Extraordinary Transactions

Under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation generally cannot merge with another entity, dissolve, convert into or consolidate with another entity, sell all or substantially all of its assets, or engage in a statutory share exchange unless advised by its board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders holding at least two-thirds of the shares entitled to vote on the matter unless a lesser percentage (but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter) is set forth in the corporation’s charter. Our charter provides that these actions may be taken only if such action is declared advisable by our Board of Directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.

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Amendments to Our Charter and Bylaws

Under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation generally cannot amend its charter unless advised by its board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter unless a different percentage (but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter) is set forth in the company’s charter. Our charter provides that except for amendments to the provisions of our charter related to (i) the removal of directors, (ii) the restrictions on transferred ownership of our capital stock and (iii) the vote required to amend such amendment provisions (each of which require the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter) and certain amendments that pursuant to the MGCL require only approval by our Board of Directors, our charter may be amended only with the approval of our Board of Directors and the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.

Our Board of Directors has the exclusive power to adopt, alter or repeal any provision of our bylaws and to make new bylaws.

Advance Notice of Director Nominations and New Business

Our bylaws provide that, with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders, nominations of individuals for election to our Board of Directors at an annual meeting and the proposal of business to be considered by stockholders may be made only (1) pursuant to our notice of the meeting, (2) by or at the direction of our Board of Directors or (3) by a stockholder of record at the record date set by the Board of Directors of the Company for the purpose of determining stockholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting, at the time of giving of notice by the stockholder and at the time of the annual meeting (and any postponement or adjournment thereof), and who is entitled to vote at the meeting and has complied with the advance notice provisions set forth in our bylaws.

With respect to special meetings of stockholders, only the business specified in our notice of meeting may be brought before the meeting. Nominations of individuals for election to our Board of Directors at a special meeting may be made only (1) by or at the direction of our Board of Directors or (2) provided that our Board of Directors has determined that directors will be elected at such meeting, by a stockholder of record at the record date set by the Board of Directors of the Company for the purpose of determining stockholders entitled to vote at the special meeting, at the time of the giving of notice by the stockholder and at the time of the special meeting (and any postponement or adjournment thereof), who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated and has complied with the advance notice provisions set forth in our bylaws.

Limitation of Directors’ and Officers’ Liability and Indemnification

Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to include in its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages, except for liability resulting from (a) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (b) active and deliberate dishonesty that is established by a final judgment and is material to the cause of action. Our charter contains a provision which eliminates our directors’ and officers’ liability to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.

Maryland law requires a Maryland corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which our charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made, or threatened to be made, a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity. Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made, or threatened to be made, a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that: (a) the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (i) was committed in bad faith or (ii) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty; (b) the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or (c) in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful.

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However, under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, unless in either case a court orders indemnification and then only for expenses. In addition, Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation’s receipt of (a) a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation and (b) a written undertaking by him or her or on his or her behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the standard of conduct was not met.

Our charter authorizes us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, to obligate ourselves and our bylaws obligate us, to indemnify any present or former director or officer or any individual who, while a director or officer of our company and at our request, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner, trustee, member or manager of another corporation, real estate investment trust, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity from and against any claim or liability to which that individual may become subject or which that individual may incur by reason of his or her service in any of the foregoing capacities and to pay or reimburse his or her reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding.

We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers that provide for indemnification to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law and advancements by us of certain expenses and costs relating to claims, suits or proceedings arising from their service to us. Our charter and bylaws also permit us to indemnify and advance expenses to any individual who served a predecessor of our company in any of the capacities described above and any employees or agents of our company or a predecessor of our company.

Exclusive Forum

Our bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, or, if that court does not have jurisdiction, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division, will be the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of any duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or to our stockholders, (c) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or other employees arising pursuant to any provision of the MGCL or our charter or bylaws or (d) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or other employees that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

REIT Qualification

Our charter provides that our Board of Directors may revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without approval of our stockholders, if it determines that it is no longer in our best interest to continue to qualify as a REIT.

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

This section summarizes the material U.S. federal income tax considerations that you, as a prospective holder of our securities, may consider relevant in connection with the purchase, ownership and disposition of our securities. Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. has acted as our counsel, has reviewed this summary, and is of the opinion that the discussion contained herein is accurate in all material respects. Because this section is a summary, it does not address all aspects of taxation that may be relevant to particular holders of our securities in light of their personal investment or tax circumstances, or to certain types of holders that are subject to special treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws, such as:

insurance companies;
tax-exempt organizations (except to the limited extent discussed in “— Taxation of Tax-Exempt Stockholders” below);
financial institutions or broker-dealers;
non-U.S. individuals and foreign corporations (except to the limited extent discussed in “— Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders” below);
U.S. expatriates;
persons who mark-to-market our securities;
subchapter S corporations;
U.S. stockholders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;
regulated investment companies and REITs;
trusts and estates;
persons who receive our securities through the exercise of employee shares options or otherwise as compensation;
persons holding our securities as part of a “straddle,” “hedge,” “conversion transaction,” “synthetic security” or other integrated investment;
persons subject to the alternative minimum tax provisions of the Code; and
persons holding our securities through a partnership or similar pass-through entity.

This summary assumes that holders hold our securities as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which generally means property held for investment.

The statements in this section are not intended to be, and should not be construed as, tax advice. The statements in this section are based on the Code, final, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations, the legislative history of the Code, current administrative interpretations and practices of the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), and court decisions. The reference to IRS interpretations and practices includes the IRS practices and policies endorsed in private letter rulings, which are not binding on the IRS except with respect to the taxpayer that receives the ruling. In each case, these sources are relied upon as they exist on the date of this discussion. Future legislation, Treasury regulations, administrative interpretations and court decisions could change the current law or adversely affect existing interpretations of current law on which the information in this section is based. Any such change could apply retroactively. We have not received any rulings from the IRS concerning our qualification as a REIT. Accordingly, even if there is no change in the applicable law, no assurance can be provided that the statements made in the following discussion, which do not bind the IRS or the courts, will not be challenged by the IRS or will be sustained by a court if so challenged.

WE URGE YOU TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE SPECIFIC TAX CONSEQUENCES TO YOU OF THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES AND OF OUR ELECTION TO BE TAXED AS A REIT. SPECIFICALLY, YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL,

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FOREIGN, AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES OF SUCH PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP, DISPOSITION AND ELECTION, AND REGARDING POTENTIAL CHANGES IN APPLICABLE TAX LAWS.

Taxation of our Company

We were redomesticated on January 6, 2014 as a Maryland corporation. We will elect to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ending December 31, 2016, upon the filing of our federal income tax return for such year. We believe that, commencing with such taxable year, we have been organized and have operated in such a manner as to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws, and we intend to continue to operate in such a manner, but no assurance can be given that we will operate in a manner so as to remain qualified as a REIT. This section discusses the laws governing the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a REIT and its stockholders. These laws are highly technical and complex.

In the opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., we qualified to be taxed as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws for our taxable year ended December 31, 2016, and our organization and current and proposed method of operations will enable us to continue to qualify as a REIT for our taxable years ending December 31, 2017 and thereafter. Investors should be aware that Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.’s opinion is based upon various customary assumptions relating to our organization and operation, and is conditioned upon certain representations and covenants made by our management as to factual matters, including representations regarding our organization, the nature of our assets and income, and the conduct of our business operations. Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.’s opinion is not binding upon the IRS or any court and speaks as of the date issued. In addition, Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.’s opinion is based on existing U.S. federal income tax law governing qualification as a REIT, which is subject to change either prospectively or retroactively. Moreover, our qualification and taxation as a REIT will depend upon our ability to meet on a continuing basis, through actual annual operating results, certain qualification tests set forth in the U.S. federal income tax laws. Those qualification tests involve the percentage of income that we earn from specified sources, the percentage of our assets that fall within specified categories, the diversity of ownership of shares of our beneficial interest, and the percentage of our earnings that we distribute. Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. will not review our compliance with those tests on a continuing basis. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that our actual results of operations for any particular taxable year will satisfy such requirements. While we intend to operate so that we will continue to qualify as a REIT, given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs, the ongoing importance of factual determinations, and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances, no assurance can be given by tax counsel or by us that we will qualify as a REIT for any particular year. Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.’s opinion does not foreclose the possibility that we may have to use one or more of the REIT savings provisions described below, which could require us to pay an excise or penalty tax (which could be material) in order for us to maintain our REIT qualification. For a discussion of the tax consequences of our failure to qualify as a REIT, see “— Failure to Qualify.”

If we qualify as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the taxable income that we distribute to our stockholders. The benefit of that tax treatment is that it avoids the “double taxation,” or taxation at both the corporate and stockholder levels, that generally results from owning shares in a corporation. However, we will be subject to U.S. federal tax in the following circumstances:

We will pay U.S. federal income tax on any taxable income, including net capital gain, that we do not distribute to stockholders during, or within a specified time period after, the calendar year in which the income is earned.
We may be subject to the “alternative minimum tax” on any items of tax preference that we do not distribute or allocate to stockholders.
We will pay income tax at the highest corporate rate on:
º net income from the sale or other disposition of property acquired through foreclosure (“foreclosure property”) that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, and
º other non-qualifying income from foreclosure property.

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We will pay a 100% tax on our net income from sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business.
If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as described below under “— Gross Income Tests,” and nonetheless continue to qualify as a REIT because we meet other requirements, we will pay a 100% tax on:
º the gross income attributable to the greater of the amount by which we fail the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, in either case, multiplied by
º a fraction intended to reflect our profitability.
If, during a calendar year, we fail to distribute at least the sum of (1) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for the year, (2) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for the year, and (3) any undistributed taxable income required to be distributed from earlier periods, we will pay a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the amount we actually distributed.
We may elect to retain and pay income tax on our net long-term capital gain. In that case, a stockholder would be taxed on its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain (to the extent that we made a timely designation of such gain to the stockholders) and would receive a credit or refund for its proportionate share of the tax we paid.
We will be subject to a 100% excise tax on transactions with any taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”) we may form in the future that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis.
If we fail to satisfy any of the asset tests, other than a de minimis failure of the 5% asset test, the 10% vote test or 10% value test, as described below under “— Asset Tests,” as long as the failure was due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, we file a schedule with the IRS describing each asset that caused such failure, and we dispose of the assets causing the failure or otherwise comply with the asset tests within six months after the last day of the quarter in which we identify such failure, we will pay a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the highest U.S. federal income tax rate then applicable to U.S. corporations (currently 35%) on the net income from the non-qualifying assets during the period in which we failed to satisfy the asset tests.
If we fail to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification, other than the gross income tests and the asset tests, and such failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, we will be required to pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure.
We will pay tax at the highest applicable regular corporate rate (currently 35%) if we recognize gain on the sale or disposition of any asset we held on January 1, 2016 (the first day of our first REIT taxable year) during the five-year period after such date. In addition, if we acquire any asset from an entity treated as a C corporation, or a corporation that generally is subject to full corporate-level tax, in a merger or other transaction in which we acquire a basis in the asset that is determined by reference either to such entity’s basis in the asset or to another asset, we will pay tax at the highest applicable regular corporate rate (currently 35%) if we recognize gain on the sale or disposition of the asset during the five-year period after we acquire the asset provided no election is made for the transaction to be taxable on a current basis. The amount of gain on which we will pay tax is the lesser of:
º the amount of gain that we recognize at the time of the sale or disposition, and
º the amount of gain that we would have recognized if we had sold the asset as of January 1, 2016, in the case of the assets we held on such date, or at the time we acquired the asset, in the case of all other assets to which the tax applies at the time we acquired it.

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We may be required to pay monetary penalties to the IRS in certain circumstances, including if we fail to meet record-keeping requirements intended to monitor our compliance with rules relating to the composition of a REIT’s stockholders, as described below in “— Recordkeeping Requirements.”
The earnings of our lower-tier entities that are treated as C corporations, including any TRS we may form in the future, will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax.

In addition, notwithstanding our qualification as a REIT, we may also have to pay certain state and local income taxes because not all states and localities treat REITs in the same manner that they are treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Moreover, as further described below, any TRS we may form in the future will be subject to U.S. federal, state and local corporate income tax on taxable income.

Requirements for Qualification

A REIT is a corporation, trust, or association that meets each of the following requirements:

1. It is managed by one or more trustees or directors.
2. Its beneficial ownership is evidenced by transferable shares, or by transferable certificates of beneficial interest.
3. It would be taxable as a domestic corporation, but for the REIT provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws.
4. It is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company subject to special provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws.
5. At least 100 persons are beneficial owners of its shares or ownership certificates.
6. Not more than 50% in value of its outstanding shares or ownership certificates is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals, which the Code defines to include certain entities, during the last half of any taxable year.
7. It elects to be a REIT, or has made such election for a previous taxable year, and satisfies all relevant filing and other administrative requirements established by the IRS that must be met to elect and maintain REIT status.
8. It meets certain other qualification tests, described below, regarding the nature of its income and assets and the amount of its distributions to stockholders.
9. It uses a calendar year for U.S. federal income tax purposes and complies with the recordkeeping requirements of the U.S. federal income tax laws.
10. It has not been a party to a spin-off transaction that is tax-deferred under section 355 of the Code during the applicable period.

We must meet requirements 1 through 4, 8 and 9 during our entire taxable year and must meet requirement 5 during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than 12 months. Requirements 5 and 6 apply beginning with our 2017 taxable year. If we comply with all the requirements for ascertaining the ownership of our outstanding shares in a taxable year and have no reason to know that we violated requirement 6, we will be deemed to have satisfied requirement 6 for that taxable year. For purposes of determining shares ownership under requirement 6, an “individual” generally includes a supplemental unemployment compensation benefits plan, a private foundation, or a portion of a trust permanently set aside or used exclusively for charitable purposes. An “individual,” however, generally does not include a trust that is a qualified employee pension or profit sharing trust under the U.S. federal income tax laws, and beneficiaries of such a trust will be treated as holding stock in proportion to their actuarial interests in the trust for purposes of requirement 6.

Our charter provides restrictions regarding the transfer and ownership of shares of shares of our outstanding capital stock, See “Description of Our Capital Stock — Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.” We believe that we have issued sufficient stock with sufficient diversity of ownership to satisfy requirements 5 and 6 above. The restrictions in our charter are intended (among other things) to assist us in continuing to

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satisfy requirements 5 and 6 above. These restrictions, however, may not ensure that we will, in all cases, be able to satisfy such share ownership requirements. If we fail to satisfy these share ownership requirements, our qualification as a REIT may terminate.

Qualified REIT Subsidiaries.  A corporation that is a “qualified REIT subsidiary” is not treated as a corporation separate from its parent REIT. All assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction, and credit of a “qualified REIT subsidiary” are treated as assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction, and credit of the REIT. A “qualified REIT subsidiary” is a corporation, all of the shares of which are owned by the REIT and for which no election has been made to treat such corporation as a TRS. Thus, in applying the requirements described herein, any “qualified REIT subsidiary” that we own will be ignored, and all assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction, and credit of such subsidiary will be treated as our assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction, and credit.

Other Disregarded Entities and Partnerships.  An unincorporated domestic entity, such as a partnership or limited liability company that has a single owner, generally is not treated as an entity separate from its owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes. An unincorporated domestic entity with two or more owners is generally treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In the case of a REIT that is a partner in a partnership that has other partners, the REIT is treated as owning its proportionate share of the assets of the partnership and as earning its allocable share of the gross income of the partnership for purposes of the applicable REIT qualification tests. Our proportionate share for purposes of the 10% value test (see “— Asset Tests”) will be based on our proportionate interest in the equity interests and certain debt securities issued by the partnership. For all of the other asset and income tests, our proportionate share will be based on our proportionate interest in the capital interests in the partnership. Our proportionate share of the assets, liabilities, and items of income of any partnership, joint venture, or limited liability company that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes in which we acquire an equity interest, directly or indirectly, will be treated as our assets and gross income for purposes of applying the various REIT qualification requirements.

We have control of our Operating Partnership and intend to control any subsidiary partnerships and limited liability companies, and we intend to operate them in a manner consistent with the requirements for our qualification as a REIT. We may from time to time be a limited partner or non-managing member in some of our partnerships and limited liability companies. If a partnership or limited liability company in which we own an interest takes or expects to take actions that could jeopardize our status as a REIT or require us to pay tax, we may be forced to dispose of our interest in such entity. In addition, it is possible that a partnership or limited liability company could take an action which could cause us to fail a gross income or asset test, and that we would not become aware of such action in time to dispose of our interest in the partnership or limited liability company or take other corrective action on a timely basis. In that case, we could fail to qualify as a REIT unless we were entitled to relief, as described below.

Taxable REIT Subsidiaries.  A REIT may own up to 100% of the shares of one or more TRSs. A TRS is a fully taxable corporation that may earn income that would not be qualifying income if earned directly by the parent REIT. Both the subsidiary and the REIT must jointly elect to treat the subsidiary as a TRS. A corporation of which a TRS directly or indirectly owns more than 35% of the voting power or value of the securities will automatically be treated as TRS. We will not be treated as holding the assets of a TRS or as receiving any income that the TRS earns. Rather, the shares issued by a TRS to us will be an asset in our hands, and we will treat the distributions paid to us from such TRS, if any, as income. This treatment may affect our compliance with the gross income and asset tests. Because we will not include the assets and income of TRSs in determining our compliance with the REIT requirements, we may use such entities to undertake activities indirectly, such as earning fee income that the REIT rules might otherwise preclude us from doing directly or through pass-through subsidiaries. Overall, no more than 25% (20% for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017) of the value of a REIT’s assets may consist of shares or securities of one or more TRSs.

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A TRS pays income tax at regular corporate rates on any income that it earns. In addition, the TRS rules limit the deductibility of interest paid or accrued by a TRS to its parent REIT to assure that the TRS is subject to an appropriate level of corporate taxation. Further, the rules impose a 100% excise tax on transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT or the REIT’s tenants that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis.

A TRS may not directly or indirectly operate or manage any health care facilities or lodging facilities or provide rights to any brand name under which any health care facility or lodging facility is operated. A TRS is not considered to operate or manage a “qualified health care property” or “qualified lodging facility” solely because the TRS directly or indirectly possesses a license, permit, or similar instrument enabling it to do so.

Rent that we receive from a TRS will qualify as “rents from real property” under two scenarios. Under the first scenario, rent we receive from a TRS will qualify as “rents from real property” as long as (1) at least 90% of the leased space in the healthcare facility is leased to persons other than TRSs and related-party tenants, and (2) the amount paid by the TRS to rent space at the healthcare facility is substantially comparable to rents paid by other tenants of the healthcare facility for comparable space, as described in further detail below under “— Gross Income Tests — Rents from Real Property.” If we lease space to a TRS in the future, we will seek to comply with these requirements. Under the second scenario, rents that we receive from a TRS will qualify as “rents from real property” if the TRS leases a healthcare facility from us that is a “qualified health care property” and such healthcare facility is operated on behalf of the TRS by a person who qualifies as an “independent contractor” and who is, or is related to a person who is, actively engaged in the trade or business of operating “qualified health care properties” for any person unrelated to us and the TRS (an “eligible independent contractor”). A “qualified health care property” includes any real property and any personal property that is, or is necessary or incidental to the use of, a hospital, nursing facility, assisted living facility, congregate care facility, qualified continuing care facility, or other licensed facility which extends medical or nursing or ancillary services to patients and which is operated by a provider of such services which is eligible for participation in the Medicare program with respect to such facility. We do not currently intend to lease our healthcare facilities to a TRS. However, we may lease healthcare facilities that we currently own or acquire to a TRS in the future, to the extent such healthcare facilities qualify as “qualified health care properties.”

Gross Income Tests

We must satisfy two gross income tests annually to qualify as a REIT. First, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year must consist of defined types of income that we derive, directly or indirectly, from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property or qualified temporary investment income. Qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test generally includes:

rents from real property;
interest on debt secured by mortgages on real property, or on interests in real property;
dividends or other distributions on, and gain from the sale of, shares in other REITs;
gain from the sale of real estate assets, other than property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business;
income derived from the operation, and gain from the sale of foreclosure property; and
income derived from the temporary investment of new capital that is attributable to the issuance of our stock or a public offering of our debt with a maturity date of at least five years and that we receive during the one-year period beginning on the date on which we received such new capital.

Although a debt instrument issued by a “publicly offered REIT” (i.e., a REIT that is required to file annual and periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act) is treated as a “real estate asset” for the asset tests, income from such debt instruments and the gain from the sale of such debt instruments is not treated as qualifying income for the 75% gross income unless the debt instrument is secured by real property or an interest in real property.

Second, in general, at least 95% of our gross income for each taxable year must consist of income that is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, other types of interest and dividends, gain from the sale or disposition of shares or securities, or any combination of these. Cancellation of indebtedness

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income and gross income from our sale of property that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business is excluded from both the numerator and the denominator in both gross income tests. In addition, income and gain from “hedging transactions” that we enter into to hedge indebtedness incurred or to be incurred to acquire or carry real estate assets and that are clearly and timely identified as such will be excluded from both the numerator and the denominator for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. See “— Hedging Transactions.” In addition, certain foreign currency gains will be excluded from gross income for purposes of one or both of the gross income tests. See “— Foreign Currency Gain.” The following paragraphs discuss the specific application of the gross income tests to us.

Rents from Real Property.  “Rents from real property” is qualifying income for both 75% and 95% gross income tests. Our leases generally are on a “triple-net” basis, requiring the tenant-operators to pay substantially all expenses associated with the operation of the healthcare facilities, such as real estate taxes, insurance, utilities, services, maintenance and other operating expenses and any ground lease payments. Rents under our leases will constitute “rents from real property” only if the leases are treated as “true leases” for U.S. federal income tax purposes and are not treated as service contracts, joint ventures, financing arrangements or some other type of arrangement. The determination of whether a lease is a true lease depends on an analysis of all surrounding facts and circumstances. In making such a determination, courts have considered a variety of factors, including the following:

the intent of the parties;
the form of the agreement;
the degree of control over the property that is retained by the property owner (e.g., whether the tenant has substantial control over the operation of the property or whether the tenant was required simply to use its best efforts to perform its obligations under the agreement);
the extent to which the property owner retains the risk of loss with respect to the operation of the property (e.g., whether the tenant bears the risk of increases in operating expenses or the risk of damage to the property); and
the extent to which the property owner retains the burdens and benefits of ownership of the property.

We believe that each of our leases will be treated as a “true lease” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Such belief is based, in part, on the following facts:

we and the tenants intend for each relationship between them to be that of a lessor and lessee and such relationship will be documented by lease agreements;
the tenants have the right to exclusive possession and use and quiet enjoyment of the property during the term of the leases;
the tenants bear the cost of, and are responsible for, day-to-day maintenance and repair of the property, and will dictate how the properties are operated, maintained and improved;
the tenants bear all of the costs and expenses of operating the healthcare facilities during the terms of the leases;
the tenants benefit from any savings in the costs of operating the property during the terms of the leases;
the tenants generally are required to indemnify us against all liabilities imposed on the us during the term of the leases by reason of (a) injury to persons or damage to property occurring at the property, or (b) the use, management, maintenance or repair of the property;
the tenants are obligated to pay rent for the period of use of the property;
the tenants stand to reap substantial gains (or incur substantial losses) depending on how successfully they operate the property;

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the useful lives of the property are significantly longer than the terms of the leases; and
we will receive the benefit of increases in value, and will bear the risk of decreases in value, of the properties during the terms of the leases.

If the IRS were to challenge successfully the characterization of our leases as true leases, we would not be treated as the owner of the healthcare facility in question for U.S. federal income tax purposes. There are no controlling Treasury regulations, published rulings, or judicial decisions involving leases with terms substantially similar to those contained in our leases that address whether such leases constitute true leases for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If our leases are recharacterized as partnership agreements, rather than true leases, part or all of the payments that we receive from the tenant-operators may not be considered rent or may not otherwise be treated as qualifying income. In that case, we likely would not be able to satisfy either the 75% or 95% gross income tests and, as a result, could lose REIT qualification. If any of our leases from a sale — leaseback transaction is recharacterized as a financing transaction or loan for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the seller-lessee would be the owner of the healthcare facility and the IRS would disallow our deductions for depreciation and cost recovery relating to the leased healthcare facilities. As a result, the amount of our REIT taxable income could be recalculated, which might cause us to fail to meet the distribution requirement required for REIT qualification. See “— Distribution Requirements.”

We will continue to use our best efforts to structure any leasing transaction, including leasing transactions from our sale-leaseback transactions, so that the lease will be characterized as a true lease and we will be treated as the owner of the healthcare facility in question for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We will not seek an advance ruling from the IRS and do not intend to seek opinions of counsel that our leases will be treated as the owner of any other leased healthcare facilities for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and thus there can be no assurance that our leases will be treated as true leases for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

In addition, rent received on a lease that is respected as a true lease will qualify as “rents from real property” only if each of the following conditions is met:

First, the rent must not be based, in whole or in part, on the income or profits of any person, but may be based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales.
Second, neither we nor a direct or indirect owner of 10% or more of our stock may own, actually or constructively, 10% or more of a tenant from whom we receive rent, other than a TRS.
Third, if the rent attributable to personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property is 15% or less of the total rent received under the lease, then the rent attributable to personal property will qualify as rents from real property. The allocation of rent between real and personal property is based on the relative fair market values of the real and personal property. However, if the 15% threshold is exceeded, the rent attributable to personal property will not qualify as rents from real property.
Fourth, we generally must not operate or manage our real property or furnish or render services to our tenants, other than through an “independent contractor” who is adequately compensated and from whom we do not derive revenue. However, we need not provide services through an “independent contractor,” but instead may provide services directly to our tenants, if the services are “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and are not considered to be provided for the tenants’ convenience. In addition, we may provide a minimal amount of “non-customary” services to the tenants of a property, other than through an independent contractor, as long as our income from the services (valued at not less than 150% of our direct cost of performing such services) does not exceed 1% of our income from the related property. Furthermore, we may own up to 100% of the shares of a TRS which may provide customary and non-customary services to our tenants without tainting our rental income from the related properties.

If a portion of the rent that we receive from a property does not qualify as “rents from real property” because the rent attributable to personal property exceeds 15% of the total rent for a taxable year, the portion of the rent that is attributable to personal property will not be qualifying income for purposes of either the 75% or 95% gross income test. Thus, if such rent attributable to personal property, plus any other income that

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is non-qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, during a taxable year exceeds 5% of our gross income during the year, we would lose our REIT qualification. If, however, the rent from a particular healthcare facility does not qualify as “rents from real property” because either (1) the rent is considered based on the income or profits of the related tenant, (2) the tenant either is a related party tenant or fails to qualify for the exceptions to the related party tenant rule for TRSs or (3) we furnish non-customary services to the tenant-operators of the healthcare facility in excess of the one percent threshold, or manage or operate the healthcare facility, other than through a qualifying independent contractor or a TRS, none of the rent from that healthcare facility would qualify as “rents from real property.”

Currently, we do not lease significant amounts of personal property pursuant to our leases. Moreover, we do not currently perform any services other than customary ones for our tenant-operators, unless such services are provided through independent contractors from whom we do not receive or derive income or a TRS. Accordingly, we believe that our leases generally produce rent that qualifies as “rents from real property” for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests.

In addition to the rent, the tenant-operators may be required to pay certain additional charges. To the extent that such additional charges represent reimbursements of amounts that we are obligated to pay to third parties such charges generally will qualify as “rents from real property.” To the extent such additional charges represent penalties for nonpayment or late payment of such amounts, such charges should qualify as “rents from real property.” However, to the extent that late charges do not qualify as “rents from real property,” they instead will be treated as interest that qualifies for the 95% gross income test.

As described above, we may own up to 100% of the shares of one or more TRSs. There are two exceptions to the related-party tenant rule described in the preceding paragraph for TRSs. Under the first exception, rent that we receive from a TRS will qualify as “rents from real property” as long as (1) at least 90% of the leased space in the healthcare facility is leased to persons other than TRSs and related-party tenants, and (2) the amount paid by the TRS to rent space at the healthcare facility is substantially comparable to rents paid by other tenant-operators of the healthcare facility for comparable space. The “substantially comparable” requirement must be satisfied when the lease is entered into, when it is extended, and when the lease is modified, if the modification increases the rent paid by the TRS. If the requirement that at least 90% of the leased space in the related property is rented to unrelated tenants is met when a lease is entered into, extended, or modified, such requirement will continue to be met as long as there is no increase in the space leased to any TRS or related party tenant. Any increased rent attributable to a modification of a lease with a TRS in which we own directly or indirectly more than 50% of the voting power or value of the stock (a “controlled TRS”) will not be treated as “rents from real property.” If in the future we receive rent from a TRS, we will seek to comply with this exception.

Under the second exception, a TRS is permitted to lease properties from the related REIT as long as it does not directly or indirectly operate or manage any health care facilities or provide rights to any brand name under which any health care facility is operated. Rent that we receive from a TRS will qualify as “rents from real property” as long as the “qualified health care property” is operated on behalf of the TRS by an eligible independent contractor. We do not currently intend to lease healthcare facilities to a TRS. However, we may lease healthcare facilities that we currently own or acquire to a TRS in the future, to the extent such properties qualify as “qualified health care properties.”

Interest.  The term “interest” generally does not include any amount received or accrued, directly or indirectly, if the determination of such amount depends in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. However, interest generally includes the following:

an amount that is based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales; and
an amount that is based on the income or profits of a debtor, as long as the debtor derives substantially all of its income from the real property securing the debt by leasing substantially all of its interest in the property, and only to the extent that the amounts received by the debtor would be qualifying “rents from real property” if received directly by a REIT.

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If a loan contains a provision that entitles a REIT to a percentage of the borrower’s gain upon the sale of the real property securing the loan or a percentage of the appreciation in the property’s value as of a specific date, income attributable to that loan provision will be treated as gain from the sale of the property securing the loan, which generally is qualifying income for purposes of both gross income tests.

Interest on debt secured by a mortgage on real property or on interests in real property generally is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Other than to the extent described below, if a loan is secured by real property and other property and the highest principal amount of a loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property securing the loan as of the date the REIT agreed to originate or acquire the loan (or, if the loan has experienced a “significant modification” since its origination or acquisition by the REIT, then as of the date of that “significant modification”), a portion of the interest income from such loan will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, but will be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test. The portion of the interest income that will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test will be equal to the interest income attributable to the portion of the principal amount of the loan that is not secured by real property, that is, the amount by which the loan exceeds the value of the real estate that is security for the loan. However, in the case of a loan that is secured by both real property and personal property, if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all property securing the loan, then the personal property securing the loan will be treated as real property for purposes of determining the interest on such loan is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test.

Dividends.  Our share of any dividends received from any corporation (including any TRS, but excluding any REIT) in which we own an equity interest will qualify for purposes of the 95% gross income test but not for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Our share of any dividends received from any other REIT in which we own an equity interest, if any, will be qualifying income for purposes of both gross income tests.

Prohibited Transactions.  A REIT will incur a 100% tax on the net income (including foreign currency gain) derived from any sale or other disposition of property, other than foreclosure property, that the REIT holds primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business. We believe that none of our healthcare facilities are or will be held primarily for sale to customers and that a sale of any of our healthcare facilities will not be in the ordinary course of our business. Whether a REIT holds a property “primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business” depends, however, on the facts and circumstances in effect from time to time, including those related to a particular property. A safe harbor to the characterization of the sale of property by a REIT as a prohibited transaction and the 100% prohibited transaction tax is available if the following requirements are met:

the REIT has held the property for not less than two years;
the aggregate expenditures made by the REIT, or any partner of the REIT, during the two-year period preceding the date of the sale that are includable in the basis of the property do not exceed 30% of the selling price of the property;
either (1) during the year in question, the REIT did not make more than seven sales of property other than foreclosure property or sales to which Section 1033 of the Code applies, (2) the aggregate adjusted bases of all such properties sold by the REIT during the year did not exceed 10% of the aggregate bases of all of the assets of the REIT at the beginning of the year, (3) the aggregate fair market value of all such properties sold by the REIT during the year did not exceed 10% of the aggregate fair market value of all of the assets of the REIT at the beginning of the year, (4) (i) the aggregate adjusted tax bases of all such property sold by the REIT during the year did not exceed 20% of the aggregate adjusted tax bases of all property of the REIT at the beginning of the year and (ii) the average annual percentage of properties sold by the REIT compared to all the REIT’s properties (measured by adjusted tax bases) in the current and two prior years did not exceed 10% or (5) (i) the aggregate fair market value of all such property sold by the REIT during the year did

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not exceed 20% of the aggregate fair market value of all property of the REIT at the beginning of the year and (ii) the average annual percentage of properties sold by the REIT compared to all the REIT’s properties (measured by fair market value) in the current and two prior years did not exceed 10%;
in the case of property not acquired through foreclosure or lease termination, the REIT has held the property for at least two years for the production of rental income; and
if the REIT has made more than seven sales of non-foreclosure property during the taxable year, substantially all of the marketing and development expenditures with respect to the property were made through an independent contractor from whom the REIT derives no income or a TRS.

We will attempt to comply with the terms of the safe-harbor provisions in the U.S. federal income tax laws prescribing when a property sale will not be characterized as a prohibited transaction. We cannot assure you, however, that we can comply with the safe-harbor provisions or that we will avoid owning property that may be characterized as property that we hold “primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business.” The 100% tax will not apply to gains from the sale of property that is held through a TRS or other taxable corporation, although such income will be taxed to the TRS at regular corporate income tax rates.

Fee Income.  Fee income generally will not be qualifying income for purposes of either the 75% or 95% gross income tests. Any fees earned by any TRS we form, such as fees for providing asset management and construction management services to third parties, will not be included for purposes of the gross income tests. In addition, we will be subject to a 100% excise tax on any fees earned by a TRS for services provided to us if such fees were pursuant to an agreement determined by the IRS to be not on an arm’s-length basis.

Foreclosure Property.  We will be subject to tax at the maximum corporate rate on any income from foreclosure property, which includes certain foreign currency gains and related deductions, other than income that otherwise would be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, less expenses directly connected with the production of that income. However, gross income from foreclosure property will qualify under the 75% and 95% gross income tests. Foreclosure property is any real property, including interests in real property, and any personal property incident to such real property:

that is acquired by a REIT as the result of the REIT having bid on such property at foreclosure, or having otherwise reduced such property to ownership or possession by agreement or process of law, after there was a default or when default was imminent on a lease of such property or on indebtedness that such property secured;
for which the related loan was acquired by the REIT at a time when the default was not imminent or anticipated; and
for which the REIT makes a proper election to treat the property as foreclosure property.

Foreclosure property also includes certain “qualified health care properties” (as defined above under “— Taxable REIT Subsidiaries”) acquired by a REIT as a result of the termination or expiration of a lease of such property (other than by reason of a default, or the imminence of a default, on the lease).

A REIT will not be considered to have foreclosed on a property where the REIT takes control of the property as a mortgagee-in-possession and cannot receive any profit or sustain any loss except as a creditor of the mortgagor. Property generally ceases to be foreclosure property at the end of the third taxable year (or, with respect to qualified health care property, the second taxable year) following the taxable year in which the REIT acquired the property, or longer if an extension is granted by the Secretary of the Treasury. However, this grace period terminates and foreclosure property ceases to be foreclosure property on the first day:

on which a lease is entered into for the property that, by its terms, will give rise to income that does not qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test, or any amount is received or accrued, directly or indirectly, pursuant to a lease entered into on or after such day that will give rise to income that does not qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test;

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on which any construction takes place on the property, other than completion of a building or any other improvement where more than 10% of the construction was completed before default became imminent; or
which is more than 90 days after the day on which the REIT acquired the property and the property is used in a trade or business which is conducted by the REIT, other than through an independent contractor from whom the REIT itself does not derive or receive any income or a TRS.

Hedging Transactions.  From time to time, we or our Operating Partnership may enter into hedging transactions with respect to one or more of our assets or liabilities. Our hedging activities may include entering into interest rate swaps, caps, and floors, options to purchase such items, and futures and forward contracts. Income and gain from “hedging transactions” will be excluded from gross income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests provided we satisfy the indemnification requirements discussed below. A “hedging transaction” means either (1) any transaction entered into in the normal course of our or our Operating Partnership’s trade or business primarily to manage the risk of interest rate, price changes, or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary obligations incurred or to be incurred, to acquire or carry real estate assets, (2) any transaction entered into primarily to manage the risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% gross income test (or any property which generates such income or gain) and (3) any transaction entered into to “offset” transactions described in (1) or (2) if a portion of the hedged indebtedness is extinguished or the related property disposed of. We are required to clearly identify any such hedging transaction before the close of the day on which it was acquired, originated, or entered into and to satisfy other identification requirements. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT.

Foreign Currency Gain.  Certain foreign currency gains will be excluded from gross income for purposes of one or both of the gross income tests. “Real estate foreign exchange gain” will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. Real estate foreign exchange gain generally includes foreign currency gain attributable to any item of income or gain that is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, foreign currency gain attributable to the acquisition or ownership of (or becoming or being the obligor under) obligations secured by mortgages on real property or an interest in real property and certain foreign currency gain attributable to certain “qualified business units” of a REIT. “Passive foreign exchange gain” will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the 95% gross income test. Passive foreign exchange gain generally includes real estate foreign exchange gain as described above, and also includes foreign currency gain attributable to any item of income or gain that is qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test and foreign currency gain attributable to the acquisition or ownership of (or becoming or being the obligor under) obligations. These exclusions for real estate foreign exchange gain and passive foreign exchange gain do not apply to any certain foreign currency gain derived from dealing, or engaging in substantial and regular trading, in securities. Such gain is treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests.

Failure to Satisfy Gross Income Tests.  If we fail to satisfy one or both of the gross income tests for any taxable year, we nevertheless may qualify as a REIT for that year if we qualify for relief under certain provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws. Those relief provisions are generally available if:

our failure to meet those tests is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect; and
following such failure for any taxable year, we file a schedule of the sources of our income in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury.

We cannot predict, however, whether in all circumstances we would qualify for the relief provisions. In addition, as discussed above in “— Taxation of Our Company,” even if the relief provisions apply, we would incur a 100% tax on the gross income attributable to the greater of the amount by which we fail the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test multiplied, in either case, by a fraction intended to reflect our profitability.

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Asset Tests

To qualify as a REIT, we also must satisfy the following asset tests at the end of each quarter of each taxable year. First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must consist of:

cash or cash items, including certain receivables and money market funds and, in certain circumstances, foreign currencies;
government securities;
interests in real property, including leaseholds, options to acquire real property and leaseholds and personal property, to the extent such personal property is leased in connection with real property and rents attributable to such personal property are treated as “rents from real property”;
interests in mortgage loans secured by real property;
shares in other REITs and debt instruments issued by “publicly offered REITs”; and
investments in shares or debt instruments during the one-year period following our receipt of new capital that we raise through equity offerings or public offerings of debt with at least a five-year term.

Second, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, the value of our interest in any one issuer’s securities may not exceed 5% of the value of our total assets (the “5% asset test”).

Third, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, we may not own more than 10% of the voting power or 10% of the value of any one issuer’s outstanding securities (the “10% vote test” and “10% value test,” respectively).

Fourth, no more than 25% (20% for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017) of the value of our total assets may consist of the securities of one or more TRSs.

Fifth, no more than 25% of the value of our total assets may consist of the securities of TRSs, other non-TRS taxable subsidiaries and other assets that are not qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test (the “25% securities test”).

Sixth, not more than 25% of the value of our total assets may consist of debt instruments issued by “publicly offered REITs” to the extent not secured by real property or interests in real property.

For purposes of the 5% asset test, the 10% vote test and the 10% value test, the term “securities” does not include shares in another REIT, debt of “publicly offered REITS”, equity or debt securities of a qualified REIT subsidiary or a TRS, mortgage loans that constitute real estate assets, or equity interests in a partnership. The term “securities,” however, generally includes debt securities issued by a partnership or another REIT, except that for purposes of the 10% value test, the term “securities” does not include:

“Straight debt” securities, which is defined as a written unconditional promise to pay on demand or on a specified date a sum certain in money if (1) the debt is not convertible, directly or indirectly, into equity, and (2) the interest rate and interest payment dates are not contingent on profits, the borrower’s discretion, or similar factors. “Straight debt” securities do not include any securities issued by a partnership or a corporation in which we or any controlled TRS (i.e., a TRS in which we own directly or indirectly more than 50% of the voting power or value of the shares) hold non-“straight debt” securities that have an aggregate value of more than 1% of the issuer’s outstanding securities. However, “straight debt” securities include debt subject to the following contingencies:
º a contingency relating to the time of payment of interest or principal, as long as either (1) there is no change to the effective yield of the debt obligation, other than a change to the annual yield that does not exceed the greater of 0.25% or 5% of the annual yield, or (2) neither the aggregate issue price nor the aggregate face amount of the issuer’s debt obligations held by us exceeds $1 million and no more than 12 months of unaccrued interest on the debt obligations can be required to be prepaid; and

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º a contingency relating to the time or amount of payment upon a default or prepayment of a debt obligation, as long as the contingency is consistent with customary commercial practice.
Any loan to an individual or an estate;
Any “section 467 rental agreement,” other than an agreement with a related party tenant;
Any obligation to pay “rents from real property”;
Certain securities issued by governmental entities;
Any security issued by a REIT;
Any debt instrument issued by an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes in which we are a partner to the extent of our proportionate interest in the equity and debt securities of the partnership; and
Any debt instrument issued by an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes not described in the preceding bullet points if at least 75% of the partnership’s gross income, excluding income from prohibited transactions, is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test described above in “— Gross Income Tests.”

For purposes of the 10% value test, our proportionate share of the assets of a partnership is our proportionate interest in any securities issued by the partnership, without regard to the securities described in the last two bullet points above.

We will monitor the status of our assets for purposes of the various asset tests and will manage our portfolio in order to comply at all times with such tests. However, there is no assurance that we will not inadvertently fail to comply with such tests. If we fail to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a calendar quarter, we will not lose our REIT qualification if:

we satisfied the asset tests at the end of the preceding calendar quarter; and
the discrepancy between the value of our assets and the asset test requirements arose from changes in the market values of our assets and was not wholly or partly caused by the acquisition of one or more non-qualifying assets.

If we did not satisfy the condition described in the second item, above, we still could avoid disqualification by eliminating any discrepancy within 30 days after the close of the calendar quarter in which it arose.

If we violate the 5% asset test, the 10% vote test or the 10% value test described above at the end of any quarter of each taxable year, we will not lose our REIT qualification if (1) the failure is de minimis (up to the lesser of 1% of the value of our assets or $10 million) and (2) we dispose of assets causing the failure or otherwise comply with the asset tests within six months after the last day of the quarter in which we identify such failure. In the event of a failure of any of the asset tests (other than de minimis failures described in the preceding sentence), as long as the failure was due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, we will not lose our REIT qualification if we (1) dispose of assets causing the failure or otherwise comply with the asset tests within six months after the last day of the quarter in which we identify the failure, (2) we file a schedule with the IRS describing each asset that caused the failure and (3) pay a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or 35% of the net income from the assets causing the failure during the period in which we failed to satisfy the asset tests.

Currently, we believe that our assets satisfy the foregoing asset test requirements. However, we will not obtain independent appraisals to support our conclusions as to the value of our assets. Moreover, the values of some assets may not be susceptible to a precise determination. As a result, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not contend that our ownership of assets violates one or more of the asset tests applicable to REITs.

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Distribution Requirements

Each taxable year, we must distribute dividends, other than capital gain dividends and deemed distributions of retained capital gain, to our stockholders in an aggregate amount at least equal to:

the sum of:
º 90% of our “REIT taxable income,” computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gain or loss, and
º 90% of our after-tax net income, if any, from foreclosure property, minus
the sum of certain items of non-cash income.

We must pay such distributions in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if either (1) we declare the distribution before we timely file our U.S. federal income tax return for the year, pay the distribution on or before the first regular dividend payment date after such declaration and elect in our tax return to have a specified dollar amount of such distribution treated as if paid during the prior year or (2) we declare the distribution in October, November or December of the taxable year, payable to stockholders of record on a specified day in any such month, and we actually pay the dividend before the end of January of the following year. The distributions under clause (1) are taxable to the stockholders in the year in which paid, and the distributions in clause (2) are treated as paid on December 31st of the prior taxable year. In both instances, these distributions relate to our prior taxable year for purposes of the 90% distribution requirement.

Further, to the extent we are not a “publicly offered REIT,” in order for our distributions to be counted as satisfying the annual distribution requirement for REITs and to provide us with the REIT-level tax deduction, such distributions must not be “preferential dividends.” A dividend is not a preferential dividend if that distribution is (1) pro rata among all outstanding shares within a particular class and (2) in accordance with the preferences among different classes of shares as set forth in our organizational documents. However, the preferential dividend rule does not apply to “publicly offered REITs.” Currently, we are a “publicly offered REIT”, and we believe that our pre-offering distributions have not been “preferential.”

In addition to the annual distribution requirement described above, to qualify as a REIT, we must not have any non-REIT accumulated earnings and profits, as measured for U.S. federal income tax purposes, at the end of any REIT taxable year. We were required distribute any such non-REIT accumulated earnings and profits that we had when we elected to be taxable as a REIT prior to the end of our first REIT taxable year, which ended December 31, 2016. We did not have any earnings and profits from prior years and we believe we made sufficient distributions in 2016 such that we did not have any undistributed non-REIT earnings and profits at the end of 2016. However, no complete assurance can be provided that we accurately determined our non-REIT earnings and profits or distributed those amounts before the end of our first REIT year. If it is subsequently determined that we had undistributed non-REIT earnings and profits as of the end of our first REIT taxable year or at the end of any subsequent taxable year, we could fail to qualify as a REIT.

We will pay U.S. federal income tax on taxable income, including net capital gain that we do not distribute to stockholders. Furthermore, if we fail to distribute during a calendar year, or by the end of January following the calendar year in the case of distributions with declaration and record dates falling in the last three months of the calendar year, at least the sum of:

85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year,
95% of our REIT capital gain income for such year, and
any undistributed taxable income (ordinary and capital gain) from all prior periods,

we will incur a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the amounts we actually distribute.

We may elect to retain and pay income tax on the net long-term capital gain we receive in a taxable year. If we so elect, we will be treated as having distributed any such retained amount for purposes of the 4% nondeductible excise tax described above. We intend to make timely distributions sufficient to satisfy the annual distribution requirements and to avoid corporate income tax and the 4% nondeductible excise tax.

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It is possible that, from time to time, we may experience timing differences between the actual receipt of income and actual payment of deductible expenses and the inclusion of that income and deduction of such expenses in arriving at our REIT taxable income. For example, we may not deduct recognized capital losses from our “REIT taxable income.” Further, it is possible that, from time to time, we may be allocated a share of net capital gain attributable to the sale of depreciated property that exceeds our allocable share of cash attributable to that sale. As a result of the foregoing, we may have less cash than is necessary to distribute taxable income sufficient to avoid corporate income tax and the excise tax imposed on certain undistributed income or even to meet the 90% distribution requirement. In such a situation, we may need to borrow funds or, if possible, pay taxable dividends of our stock or debt securities.

We may satisfy the 90% distribution test with taxable distributions of our stock or debt securities. The IRS has issued private letter rulings to other REITs treating certain distributions that are paid partly in cash and partly in shares as dividends that would satisfy the REIT annual distribution requirement and qualify for the dividends paid deduction for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Those rulings may be relied upon only by taxpayers whom they were issued, but we could request a similar ruling from the IRS. In addition, the IRS previously issued a revenue procedure authorizing publicly traded REITs to make elective cash/shares dividends, but that revenue procedure has expired. Accordingly, it is unclear whether and to what extent we will be able to make taxable dividends payable in cash and shares. We have no current intention to make a taxable dividend payable in our shares.

Under certain circumstances, we may be able to correct a failure to meet the distribution requirement for a year by paying “deficiency dividends” to our stockholders in a later year. We may include such deficiency dividends in our deduction for dividends paid for the earlier year. Although we may be able to avoid income tax on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends, we will be required to pay interest to the IRS based upon the amount of any deduction we take for deficiency dividends.

Recordkeeping Requirements

We must maintain certain records in order to qualify as a REIT. In addition, to avoid a monetary penalty, we must request on an annual basis information from our stockholders designed to disclose the actual ownership of our outstanding shares. We intend to comply with these requirements.

Failure to Qualify

If we fail to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification, other than the gross income tests and the asset tests, we could avoid disqualification if our failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect and we pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure. In addition, there are relief provisions for a failure of the gross income tests and asset tests, as described in “— Gross Income Tests” and “— Asset Tests.”

If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, and no relief provision applies, we would be subject to U.S. federal income tax and any applicable alternative minimum tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. In addition, we may be required to pay penalties and/or interest with respect to such tax. In calculating our taxable income in a year in which we fail to qualify as a REIT, we would not be able to deduct amounts paid out to stockholders. In fact, we would not be required to distribute any amounts to stockholders in that year. In such event, to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, distributions to stockholders generally would be taxable as ordinary dividend income. Subject to certain limitations of the U.S. federal income tax laws, corporate stockholders may be eligible for the dividends received deduction and stockholders taxed at individual rates may be eligible for the reduced U.S. federal income tax rate of up to 20% on such dividends. Unless we qualified for relief under specific statutory provisions, we also would be disqualified from taxation as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we ceased to qualify as a REIT. We cannot predict whether we would qualify for such statutory relief in all circumstances.

Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders

This section is a summary of the rules governing the U.S. federal income taxation of U.S. stockholders and is for general information only. We urge you to consult your tax advisors to determine the impact of U.S. federal, state, and local income tax laws on the purchase, ownership and disposition of our stock.

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As used herein, the term “U.S. stockholder” means a beneficial owner of our capital stock that for U.S. federal income tax purposes is:

a citizen or resident of the United States;
a corporation (including an entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any of its states or the District of Columbia;
an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or
any trust if (1) a court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) it has a valid election in place to be treated as a United States person.

If a partnership, entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our stock, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner in a partnership holding our stock, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the consequences of the ownership and disposition of our stock by the partnership.

As long as we qualify as a REIT, a taxable U.S. stockholder must generally take into account as ordinary income distributions made out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits that we do not designate as capital gain dividends or retained long-term capital gain.

A U.S. stockholder will not qualify for the dividends received deduction generally available to corporations. In addition, dividends paid to a U.S. stockholder generally will not qualify for the 20% tax rate for “qualified dividend income.” The maximum tax rate for qualified dividend income received by U.S. stockholders taxed at individual rates is 20%. The maximum tax rate on qualified dividend income is lower than the maximum tax rate on ordinary income, which is currently 39.6%. Qualified dividend income generally includes dividends paid by domestic C corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations to U.S. stockholders that are taxed at individual rates. Because we are not generally subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of our REIT taxable income distributed to our stockholders (See — “Taxation of Our Company” above), our dividends generally will not be eligible for the 20% rate on qualified dividend income. As a result, our ordinary REIT dividends will be taxed at the higher tax rate applicable to ordinary income. However, the 20% tax rate for qualified dividend income will apply to our ordinary REIT dividends, if any, that are (1) attributable to dividends received by us from non-REIT corporations, such as any TRS we may form, and (2) attributable to income upon which we have paid corporate income tax (e.g., to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our taxable income). In general, to qualify for the reduced tax rate on qualified dividend income, a stockholder must hold our stock for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the date on which our stock becomes ex-dividend.

Individuals, trusts and estates whose income exceeds certain thresholds are also subject to an additional 3.8% Medicare tax on dividends received from us. U.S. stockholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the implications of the additional Medicare tax resulting from an investment in our shares.

A U.S. stockholder generally will take into account as long-term capital gain any distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends without regard to the period for which the U.S. stockholder has held our stock. We generally will designate our capital gain dividends as either 20% or 25% rate distributions. See “— Capital Gains and Losses.”

We may elect to retain and pay income tax on the net long-term capital gain that we receive in a taxable year. In that case, to the extent that we designate such amount in a timely notice to such stockholder, a U.S. stockholder would be taxed on its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain. The U.S. stockholder would receive a credit for its proportionate share of the tax we paid. The U.S. stockholder would increase the basis in its shares by the amount of its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain, minus its share of the tax we paid.

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A U.S. stockholder will not incur tax on a distribution in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits if the distribution does not exceed the adjusted basis of the U.S. stockholder’s stock. Instead, the distribution will reduce the U.S. stockholder’s adjusted basis in such shares. A U.S. stockholder will recognize a distribution in excess of both our current and accumulated earnings and profits and the U.S. stockholder’s adjusted basis in his or her shares as long-term capital gain, or short-term capital gain if the shares have been held for one year or less, assuming the shares are a capital asset in the hands of the U.S. stockholder. In addition, if we declare a distribution in October, November, or December of any year that is payable to a U.S. stockholder of record on a specified date in any such month, such distribution will be treated as both paid by us and received by the U.S. stockholder on December 31 of such year, provided that we actually pay the distribution during January of the following calendar year.

U.S. stockholders may not include in their individual income tax returns any of our net operating losses or capital losses. Instead, these losses are generally carried over by us for potential offset against our future income. Taxable distributions from us and gain from the disposition of our stock will not be treated as passive activity income and, therefore, stockholders generally will not be able to apply any “passive activity losses,” such as losses from certain types of limited partnerships in which the U.S. stockholder is a limited partner, against such income or gain. In addition, taxable distributions from us and gain from the disposition of our stock generally will be treated as investment income for purposes of the investment interest limitations. We will notify U.S. stockholders after the close of our taxable year as to the portions of the distributions attributable to that year that constitute ordinary income, return of capital and capital gain.

Taxation of U.S. Stockholders on the Disposition of Capital Stock

A U.S. stockholder who is not a dealer in securities must generally treat any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of our stock as long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. stockholder has held our stock for more than one year and otherwise as short-term capital gain or loss. In general, a U.S. stockholder will realize gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the sum of the fair market value of any property and the amount of cash received in such disposition and the U.S. stockholder’s adjusted tax basis. A stockholder’s adjusted tax basis generally will equal the U.S. stockholder’s acquisition cost, increased by the excess of net capital gains deemed distributed to the U.S. stockholder (discussed above) less tax deemed paid on such gains and reduced by any returns of capital. However, a U.S. stockholder must treat any loss upon a sale or exchange of stock held by such stockholder for six months or less as a long-term capital loss to the extent of capital gain dividends and any other actual or deemed distributions from us that such U.S. stockholder treats as long-term capital gain. All or a portion of any loss that a U.S. stockholder realizes upon a taxable disposition of our stock may be disallowed if the U.S. stockholder purchases substantially identical stock within 30 days before or after the disposition.

Taxation of U.S. Stockholders on a Conversion of Preferred Stock

Except as provided below, (i) a U.S. stockholder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon the conversion of preferred stock into our common stock, and (ii) a U.S. stockholder’s basis and holding period in our common stock received upon conversion generally will be the same as those of the converted shares of preferred stock (but the basis will be reduced by the portion of adjusted tax basis allocated to any fractional share exchanged for cash). Any of our shares of common stock received in conversion that are attributable to accumulated and unpaid dividends on the converted shares of preferred stock will be treated as a distribution that is potentially taxable as a dividend. Cash received upon conversion in lieu of a fractional share generally will be treated as payment in exchange for such fractional share, and gain or loss will be recognized on the receipt of cash in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash received and the adjusted tax basis allocable to the fractional share deemed exchanged. This gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. stockholder has held the preferred stock for more than one year at the time of conversion. U.S. stockholders are urged to consult with their tax advisors regarding the federal income tax consequences of any transaction by which such U.S. stockholder exchanges our commons stock received on a conversion of preferred stock for cash or other property.

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Taxation of U.S. Stockholders on a Redemption of Preferred Stock

In general, a redemption of any preferred stock will be treated under Section 302 of the Code as a distribution that is taxable at ordinary income tax rates as a dividend (to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits), unless the redemption satisfies certain tests set forth in Section 302(b) of the Code enabling the redemption to be treated as a sale of the preferred stock (in which case the redemption will be treated in the same manner as a sale described in “— Taxation of U.S. Stockholders on the Disposition of Capital Stock” above). The redemption will satisfy such tests and be treated as a sale of the preferred stock if the redemption:

is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. stockholder’s interest in our stock;
results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. stockholder’s interest in all classes of our stock; or
is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. stockholder, all within the meaning of Section 302(b) of the Code.

In determining whether any of these tests have been met, stock considered to be owned by the U.S. stockholder by reason of certain constructive ownership rules set forth in the Code, as well as stock actually owned, generally must be taken into account. Because the determination as to whether any of the three alternative tests of Section 302(b) of the Code described above will be satisfied with respect to any particular U.S. stockholder of the preferred stock depends upon the facts and circumstances at the time that the determination must be made, prospective investors are advised to consult their own tax advisors to determine such tax treatment.

If a redemption of preferred stock does not meet any of the three tests described above, the redemption proceeds will be treated as a distribution, as described in “— Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders” above. In that case, a U.S. stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in the redeemed preferred stock will be transferred to such U.S. stockholder’s remaining stock holdings in our company. If the U.S. stockholder does not retain any of our stock, such basis could be transferred to a related person that holds our stock or it may be lost.

Under proposed Treasury regulations, if any portion of the amount received by a U.S. stockholder on a redemption of any class of our preferred stock is treated as a distribution with respect to our stock but not as a taxable dividend, then such portion will be allocated to all stock of the redeemed class held by the redeemed holder just before the redemption on a pro-rata, share-by-share, basis. The amount applied to each share will first reduce the redeemed holder’s basis in that share and any excess after the basis is reduced to zero will result in taxable gain. If the redeemed holder has different bases in its shares, then the amount allocated could reduce some of the basis in certain shares while reducing all the basis and giving rise to taxable gain in others. Thus the redeemed holder could have gain even if such holder’s basis in all its shares of the redeemed class exceeded such portion.

The proposed Treasury regulations permit the transfer of basis in the redeemed preferred stock to the redeemed holder’s remaining, unredeemed shares of preferred stock of the same class (if any), but not to any other class of stock held (directly or indirectly) by the redeemed holder. Instead, any unrecovered basis in the redeemed shares of preferred stock would be treated as a deferred loss to be recognized when certain conditions are satisfied. The proposed Treasury regulations would be effective for transactions that occur after the date the regulations are published as final Treasury regulations. There can, however, be no assurance as to whether, when and in what particular for such proposed Treasury regulations will ultimately be finalized.

Capital Gains and Losses

A taxpayer generally must hold a capital asset for more than one year for gain or loss derived from its sale or exchange to be treated as long-term capital gain or loss. The highest marginal individual income tax rate currently is 39.6%. The maximum tax rate on long-term capital gain applicable to taxpayers taxed at individual rates is 20% for sales and exchanges of assets held for more than one year. The maximum tax rate on long-term capital gain from the sale or exchange of “Section 1250 property,” or depreciable real property, is 25%, which applies to the lesser of the total amount of the gain or the accumulated depreciation on the Section 1250 property.

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Individuals, trusts and estates whose income exceeds certain thresholds are also subject to an additional 3.8% Medicare tax on gain from the sale of our stock. U.S. stockholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the implications of the additional Medicare tax resulting from an investment in our shares.

With respect to distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends and any retained capital gain that we are deemed to distribute, we generally may designate whether such a distribution is taxable to U.S. stockholders taxed at individual rates currently at a 20% or 25% rate. Thus, the tax rate differential between capital gain and ordinary income for those taxpayers may be significant. In addition, the characterization of income as capital gain or ordinary income may affect the deductibility of capital losses. A non-corporate taxpayer may deduct capital losses not offset by capital gains against its ordinary income only up to a maximum annual amount of $3,000. A non-corporate taxpayer may carry forward unused capital losses indefinitely. A corporate taxpayer must pay tax on its net capital gain at ordinary corporate rates. A corporate taxpayer may deduct capital losses only to the extent of capital gains, with unused losses being carried back three years and forward five years.

Taxation of Tax-Exempt Stockholders

This section is a summary of rules governing the U.S. federal income taxation of U.S. stockholders that are tax-exempt entities and is for general information only. We urge tax-exempt stockholders to consult their tax advisors to determine the impact of U.S. federal, state, and local income tax laws on the purchase, ownership and disposition of our stock, including any reporting requirements.

Tax-exempt entities, including qualified employee pension and profit sharing trusts and individual retirement accounts, generally are exempt from U.S. federal income taxation. However, they are subject to taxation on their unrelated business taxable income, or UBTI. Although many investments in real estate generate UBTI, the IRS has issued a ruling that dividend distributions from a REIT to an exempt employee pension trust do not constitute UBTI. Based on that ruling, amounts that we distribute to tax-exempt stockholders generally should not constitute UBTI. However, if a tax-exempt stockholder were to finance (or be deemed to finance) its acquisition of stock with debt, a portion of the income that it receives from us would constitute UBTI pursuant to the “debt-financed property” rules. Moreover, social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts and qualified group legal services plans that are exempt from taxation under special provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws are subject to different UBTI rules, which generally will require them to characterize distributions that they receive from us as UBTI. Finally, in certain circumstances, a qualified employee pension or profit sharing trust that owns more than 10% of our shares of stock must treat a percentage of the dividends that it receives from us as UBTI. Such percentage is equal to the gross income we derive from an unrelated trade or business, determined as if we were a pension trust, divided by our total gross income for the year in which we pay the dividends. That rule applies to a pension trust holding more than 10% of our shares of stock only if:

the percentage of our dividends that the tax-exempt trust must treat as UBTI is at least 5%;
we qualify as a REIT by reason of the modification of the rule requiring that no more than 50% of our shares of stock be owned by five or fewer individuals that allows the beneficiaries of the pension trust to be treated as holding our shares of stock in proportion to their actuarial interests in the pension trust; and
either:
º one pension trust owns more than 25% of the value of our shares of stock; or
º a group of pension trusts individually holding more than 10% of the value of our shares of stock collectively owns more than 50% of the value of our shares of stock.

Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders

This section is a summary of the rules governing the U.S. federal income taxation of non-U.S. stockholders. The term “non-U.S. stockholder” means a beneficial owner of our stock that is not a U.S. stockholder, a partnership (or entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) or a tax-exempt stockholder. The rules governing U.S. federal income taxation of nonresident alien individuals, foreign corporations, foreign partnerships, and other foreign stockholders are complex and this summary is for

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general information only. We urge non-U.S. stockholders to consult their tax advisors to determine the impact of U.S. federal, state, and local income tax laws on the purchase, ownership and disposition of our stock, including any reporting requirements.

Distributions

A non-U.S. stockholder that receives a distribution that is not attributable to gain from our sale or exchange of a “United States real property interest,” or USRPI, as defined below, and that we do not designate as a capital gain dividend or retained capital gain will recognize ordinary income to the extent that we pay such distribution out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. A withholding tax equal to 30% of the gross amount of the distribution ordinarily will apply to such distribution unless an applicable tax treaty reduces or eliminates the tax. However, if a distribution is treated as effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business, the non-U.S. stockholder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the distribution at graduated rates, in the same manner as U.S. stockholders are taxed with respect to such distribution, and a non-U.S. stockholder that is a corporation also may be subject to a 30% branch profits tax with respect to that distribution. The branch profits tax may be reduced by an applicable tax treaty. We plan to withhold U.S. income tax at the rate of 30% on the gross amount of any such distribution paid to a non-U.S. stockholder unless either:

a lower treaty rate applies and the non-U.S. stockholder provides us with an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E evidencing eligibility for that reduced rate;
the non-U.S. stockholder provides us with an IRS Form W-8ECI claiming that the distribution is effectively connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business; or
the distribution is treated as attributable to a sale of a USRPI under FIRPTA (discussed below).

A non-U.S. stockholder will not incur tax on a distribution in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits if the excess portion of such distribution does not exceed the adjusted basis of its stock. Instead, the excess portion of such distribution will reduce the adjusted basis of the non-U.S. stockholder in such shares. A non-U.S. stockholder will be subject to tax on a distribution that exceeds both our current and accumulated earnings and profits and the adjusted basis of its stock, if the non-U.S. stockholder otherwise would be subject to tax on gain from the sale or disposition of its stock, as described below. We must withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits. Consequently, although we intend to withhold at a rate of 30% on the entire amount of any distribution, to the extent that we do not do so, we will withhold at a rate of 15 on any portion of a distribution not subject to withholding at a rate of 30%. Because we generally cannot determine at the time we make a distribution whether the distribution will exceed our current and accumulated earnings and profits, we normally will withhold tax on the entire amount of any distribution at the same rate as we would withhold on a dividend. However, a non-U.S. stockholder may claim a refund of amounts that we withhold if we later determine that a distribution in fact exceeded our current and accumulated earnings and profits.

For any year in which we qualify as a REIT, a non-U.S. stockholder may incur tax on distributions that are attributable to gain from our sale or exchange of a USRPI under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Act of 1980, or FIRPTA. A USRPI includes certain interests in real property and shares in corporations at least 50% of whose assets consist of interests in real property. Under FIRPTA, subject to the exceptions discussed below for distributions on a class of shares that is regularly traded on an established securities market to a less-than-10% holder of such shares and distributions to “qualified stockholders” and a “qualified foreign pension funds,” a non-U.S. stockholder is taxed on distributions attributable to gain from sales of USRPIs as if such gain were effectively connected with a U.S. business of the non-U.S. stockholder. A non-U.S. stockholder thus would be taxed on such a distribution at the normal capital gains rates applicable to U.S. stockholders, subject to applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of a nonresident alien individual. A non-U.S. corporate stockholder not entitled to treaty relief or exemption also may be subject to the 30% branch profits tax on such a distribution. Unless the exception described in the next paragraph applies, we must withhold 35% of any distribution that we could designate as a capital gain dividend. A non-U.S. stockholder may receive a credit against its tax liability for the amount we withhold.

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However, if the applicable class of our stock is regularly traded on an established securities market in the United States, capital gain distributions on such class of stock that are attributable to our sale of a USRPI will be treated as ordinary dividends rather than as gain from the sale of a USRPI, as long as the non-U.S. stockholder did not own more than 10% of the applicable class of our stock at any time during the one-year period preceding the distribution or the non-U.S. stockholder was treated as a “qualified stockholder” and “qualified foreign pension fund.” In such a case, non-U.S. stockholders generally will be subject to withholding tax on such capital gain distributions in the same manner as they are subject to withholding tax on ordinary dividends. We believe that our common stock is regularly traded on an established securities market in the United States. If our common stock is not regularly traded on an established securities market in the United States, capital gain distributions that are attributable to our sale of USRPIs will be subject to tax under FIRPTA, as described in the preceding paragraph. In such case, we must withhold 35% of any distribution that we could designate as a capital gain dividend. A non-U.S. stockholder may receive a credit against its tax liability for the amount we withhold. Moreover, if a non-U.S. stockholder disposes of our common stock during the 30-day period preceding a dividend payment, and such non-U.S. stockholder (or a person related to such non-U.S. stockholder) acquires or enters into a contract or option to acquire our common stock within 61 days of the first day of the 30-day period described above, and any portion of such dividend payment would, but for the disposition, be treated as a USRPI capital gain to such non-U.S. stockholder, then such non-U.S. stockholder will be treated as having USRPI capital gain in an amount that, but for the disposition, would have been treated as USRPI capital gain.

Qualified Shareholders.  Subject to the exception discussed below, any distribution to a “qualified shareholder” who holds our stock directly or indirectly (through one or more partnerships) will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax as income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, and thus will not be subject to FIRPTA withholding as described above. However, while a “qualified shareholder” will not be subject to FIRPTA withholding on our distributions, non-U.S. persons who hold interests in the “qualified shareholder” (other than interests solely as a creditor) and hold more than 10% of our stock, either through the “qualified shareholder” or otherwise, will still be subject to FIRPTA withholding.

A “qualified shareholder” is a foreign person that is (1) either eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty that includes an exchange of information program and whose principal class of interests is listed and regularly traded on one or more stock exchanges (as defined in such income tax treaty), or is a foreign partnership that is created or organized under foreign law as a limited partnership in a jurisdiction that has an agreement for the exchange of information with respect to taxes with the United States and has a class of limited partnership units that represents more than 50% of the value of all of the partnership’s units and is regularly traded on the NYSE or NASDAQ markets, (2) is a “qualified collective investment vehicle” (as defined below), and (3) maintains records of the identity of each person who, at any time during the foreign person’s taxable year, is the direct owner of 5% or more the class of interests or units (as applicable) described in (1), above.

A “qualified collective investment vehicle” is a foreign person that (1) would be eligible for a reduced rate of withholding under the comprehensive income tax treaty described above, even if such entity owns more than 10% of the stock of the REIT, (2) is publicly traded, is treated a partnership under the Code, is a withholding foreign partnership, and would be treated as “United States real property holding corporation” under FIRPTA if it were a domestic corporation, or (3) is designated as such by the Secretary of the Treasury and is either (a) fiscally transparent within the meaning of Section 894 of the Code or (b) required to include dividends in its gross income, but is entitled to a deduction for distributions to its investors.

Qualified Foreign Pension Funds.  Any distribution to a “qualified foreign pension fund” or an entity all of the interests of which are held by a “qualified foreign pension fund” who holds our stock directly or indirectly (through one or more partnerships) will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax as income effectively connected with the a U.S. trade or business, and thus will not be subject to FIRPTA withholding as described above.

A “qualified foreign pension fund” is any trust, corporation, or other organization or arrangement (1) which is created or organized under the laws of a country other than the United States, (2) which is established to provide retirement or pension benefits to participants or beneficiaries that are current or former

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employees (or persons designated by such employees) of one or more employers in consideration for services rendered, (3) which does not have a single participant or beneficiary with a right to more than 5% of its assets or income, (4) which is subject to government regulation and provides annual information reporting about its beneficiaries to the relevant tax authorities in the country in which it is established or operates, and (5) with respect to which, under the laws of the country in which it is established or operates, (a) contributions to such organization or arrangement that would otherwise be subject to tax under such laws are deductible or excluded from the gross income of such entity or taxed at a reduced rate or (b) taxation of any investment income of such organization or arrangement is deferred or such income is taxed a reduced rate.

Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, a U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate will be imposed on dividends paid to certain non-U.S. stockholders if certain disclosure requirements related to U.S. accounts or ownership are not satisfied. If payment of withholding taxes is required, non-U.S. stockholders that are otherwise eligible for an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. withholding taxes with respect to such dividends will be required to seek a refund from the IRS to obtain the benefit of such exemption or reduction. We will not pay any additional amounts in respect of any amounts withheld.

Dispositions

Subject to the discussion below regarding dispositions by “qualified shareholders” and “qualified foreign pension funds,” non-U.S. stockholders could incur tax under FIRPTA with respect to gain realized upon a disposition of our stock if we are a United States real property holding corporation during a specified testing period. If at least 50% of a REIT’s assets are USRPI, then the REIT will be a United States real property holding corporation. We believe that we are a United States real property holding corporation based on our investment strategy. However, even if we are a United States real property holding corporation, a non-U.S. stockholder generally would not incur tax under FIRPTA on gain from the sale of our stock if we are a “domestically controlled qualified investment entity.”

A “domestically controlled qualified investment entity” includes a REIT in which, at all times during a specified testing period, less than 50% in value of its shares are held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. stockholders. We cannot assure you that this test has been or will be met.

If the applicable class of our stock is regularly traded on an established securities market, an additional exception to the tax under FIRPTA will be available with respect to such stock, even if we do not qualify as a domestically controlled qualified investment entity at the time the non-U.S. stockholder sells such stock. Under that exception, the gain from such a sale by such a non-U.S. stockholder will not be subject to tax under FIRPTA if (1) the applicable class of our stock is treated as being regularly traded on an established securities market under applicable Treasury Regulations and (2) the non-U.S. stockholder owned, actually or constructively, 10% or less of that class of stock at all times during a specified testing period. We believe that our common stock is regularly traded on an established securities market.

In addition, a sale of our stock by a “qualified shareholder” or a “qualified foreign pension fund” who holds our stock directly or indirectly (through one or more partnerships) will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax under FIRPTA. However, while a “qualified shareholder” will not be subject FIRPTA withholding on a sale of our stock, non-United States persons who hold interests in the “qualified shareholder” (other than interests solely as a creditor) and hold more than 10% of our stock, either through the “qualified shareholder” or otherwise, will still be subject to FIRPTA withholding.

If the gain on the sale of our stock were taxed under FIRPTA, a non-U.S. stockholder would be taxed on that gain in the same manner as U.S. stockholders, subject to applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of nonresident alien individuals. In addition, distributions that are subject to tax under FIRPTA also may be subject to a 30% branch profits tax when made to a non-U.S. stockholder treated as a corporation (under U.S. federal income tax principles) that is not otherwise entitled to treaty exemption. Finally, if we are not a domestically controlled qualified investment entity at the time our shares of stock are sold and the non-U.S. stockholder does not qualify for the exemptions described in the preceding paragraph, under FIRPTA the purchaser of our stock also may be required to withhold 15% of the purchase price and remit this amount to the IRS on behalf of the selling non-U.S. stockholder.

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With respect to individual non-U.S. stockholders, even if not subject to FIRPTA, capital gains recognized from the sale of our stock will be taxable to such non-U.S. stockholder if he or she is a non-resident alien individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and some other conditions apply, in which case the non-resident alien individual may be subject to a U.S. federal income tax on his or her U.S. source capital gain.

FATCA.  For payments after December 31, 2018 a U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of our stock received by certain non-U.S. stockholders if certain disclosure requirements related to U.S. accounts or ownership are not satisfied. If payment of withholding taxes is required, non-U.S. stockholders that are otherwise eligible for an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. withholding taxes with respect of such proceeds will be required to seek a refund from the IRS to obtain the benefit of such exemption or reduction. We will not pay any additional amounts in respect of any amounts withheld.

Information Reporting Requirements and Withholding

We will report to our stockholders and to the IRS the amount of distributions we pay during each calendar year, and the amount of tax we withhold, if any. Under the backup withholding rules, a stockholder may be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 28% with respect to distributions unless the stockholder:

is a corporation or qualifies for certain other exempt categories and, when required, demonstrates this fact; or
provides a taxpayer identification number, certifies as to no loss of exemption from backup withholding, and otherwise complies with the applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules.

A stockholder who does not provide us with its correct taxpayer identification number also may be subject to penalties imposed by the IRS. Any amount paid as backup withholding will be creditable against the stockholder’s income tax liability. In addition, we may be required to withhold a portion of capital gain distributions to any stockholders who fail to certify their non-foreign status to us.

Backup withholding will generally not apply to payments of dividends made by us or our paying agents, in their capacities as such, to a non-U.S. stockholder provided that the non-U.S. stockholder furnishes to us or our paying agent the required certification as to its non-U.S. status, such as providing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or W-8ECI, or certain other requirements are met. Notwithstanding the foregoing, backup withholding may apply if either we or our paying agent has actual knowledge, or reason to know, that the holder is a United States person that is not an exempt recipient. Payments of the proceeds from a disposition or a redemption effected outside the United States by a non-U.S. stockholder made by or through a foreign office of a broker generally will not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding. However, information reporting (but not backup withholding) generally will apply to such a payment if the broker has certain connections with the United States unless the broker has documentary evidence in its records that the beneficial owner is a non-U.S. stockholder and specified conditions are met or an exemption is otherwise established. Payment of the proceeds from a disposition by a non-U.S. stockholder of stock made by or through the U.S. office of a broker is generally subject to information reporting and backup withholding unless the non-U.S. stockholder certifies under penalties of perjury that it is not a United States person and satisfies certain other requirements, or otherwise establishes an exemption from information reporting and backup withholding.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be refunded or credited against the stockholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability if certain required information is furnished to the IRS. Stockholders should consult their tax advisors regarding application of backup withholding to them and the availability of, and procedure for obtaining an exemption from, backup withholding.

Under FATCA, a U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate will be imposed on dividends paid to U.S. stockholders who own our shares of stock through foreign accounts or foreign intermediaries if certain disclosure requirements related to U.S. accounts or ownership are not satisfied. In addition, if those disclosure requirements are not satisfied, a U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate will be imposed, for taxable years

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beginning after December 31, 2018, on proceeds from the sale of our stock by U.S. stockholders who own our stock through foreign accounts or foreign intermediaries. In addition, we may be required to withhold a portion of capital gain distributions to any U.S. stockholders who fail to certify their non-foreign status to us. We will not pay any additional amounts in respect of amounts withheld.

Other Tax Consequences

Tax Aspects of Our Investments in Our Operating Partnership and Subsidiary Partnerships

The following discussion summarizes certain U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to our direct or indirect investments in our Operating Partnership and any subsidiary partnerships or limited liability companies that we form or acquire (each individually a “Partnership” and, collectively, the “Partnerships”). The discussion does not cover state or local tax laws or any U.S. federal tax laws other than income tax laws.

Classification as Partnerships.  We will include in our income our distributive share of each Partnership’s income and deduct our distributive share of each Partnership’s losses only if such Partnership is classified for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a partnership (or an entity that is disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes if the entity is treated as having only one owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes) rather than as a corporation or an association taxable as a corporation. An unincorporated entity with at least two owners or members will be classified as a partnership, rather than as a corporation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes if it:

is treated as a partnership under the Treasury Regulations relating to entity classification (the “check-the-box regulations”); and
is not a “publicly-traded partnership.”

Under the check-the-box regulations, an unincorporated entity with at least two owners or members may elect to be classified either as an association taxable as a corporation or as a partnership. If such an entity does not make an election, it will generally be treated as a partnership (or an entity that is disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes if the entity is treated as having only one owner or member for U.S. federal income tax purposes) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Our Operating Partnership intends to be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and will not elect to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation under the check-the-box regulations.

A publicly-traded partnership is a partnership whose interests are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof. A publicly-traded partnership will not, however, be treated as a corporation for any taxable year if, for each taxable year beginning after December 31, 1987 in which it was classified as a publicly-traded partnership, 90% or more of the partnership’s gross income for such year consists of certain passive-type income, including real property rents, gains from the sale or other disposition of real property, interest, and dividends (the “90% passive income exception”). Treasury Regulations provide limited safe harbors from the definition of a publicly-traded partnership. Pursuant to one of those safe harbors (the “private placement exclusion”), interests in a partnership will not be treated as readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof if (1) all interests in the partnership were issued in a transaction or transactions that were not required to be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and (2) the partnership does not have more than 100 partners at any time during the partnership’s taxable year. In determining the number of partners in a partnership, a person owning an interest in a partnership, grantor trust, or S corporation that owns an interest in the partnership is treated as a partner in such partnership only if (1) substantially all of the value of the owner’s interest in the entity is attributable to the entity’s direct or indirect interest in the partnership and (2) a principal purpose of the use of the entity is to permit the partnership to satisfy the 100-partner limitation. We expect that our Operating Partnership and any other partnership in which we own an interest will qualify for the private placement exception.

We have not requested, and do not intend to request, a ruling from the IRS that our Operating Partnership will be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If for any reason our Operating Partnership were taxable as a corporation, rather than as a partnership, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we likely would not be able to qualify as a REIT unless we qualified for certain relief provisions. See “— Gross Income Tests” and “— Asset Tests.” In addition, any change in a Partnership’s status for tax

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purposes might be treated as a taxable event, in which case we might incur tax liability without any related cash distribution. Further, items of income and deduction of such Partnership would not pass through to its partners, and its partners would be treated as stockholders for tax purposes. Consequently, such Partnership would be required to pay income tax at corporate rates on its net income, and distributions to its partners would constitute dividends that would not be deductible in computing such Partnership’s taxable income.

Income Taxation of the Partnerships and their Partners

Partners, Not the Partnerships, Subject to Tax.  A partnership is generally not a taxable entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Rather, we are required to take into account our allocable share of each Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions, and credits for any taxable year of such Partnership ending within or with our taxable year, without regard to whether we have received or will receive any distribution from such Partnership. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, however, the tax liability for adjustments to a partnership’s tax returns made as a result of an audit by the IRS will be imposed on the partnership itself in certain circumstances absent an election to the contrary.

Partnership Allocations.  Although a partnership agreement generally will determine the allocation of income and losses among partners, such allocations will be disregarded for tax purposes if they do not comply with the provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws governing partnership allocations. If an allocation is not recognized for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the item subject to the allocation will be reallocated in accordance with the partners’ interests in the partnership, which will be determined by taking into account all of the facts and circumstances relating to the economic arrangement of the partners with respect to such item. Each Partnership’s allocations of taxable income, gain, and loss are intended to comply with the requirements of the U.S. federal income tax laws governing partnership allocations.

Tax Allocations with Respect to Partnership Properties.  Income, gain, loss, and deduction attributable to appreciated or depreciated property that is contributed to a partnership in exchange for an interest in the partnership must be allocated in a manner such that the contributing partner is charged with, or benefits from, respectively, the unrealized gain or unrealized loss associated with the property at the time of the contribution (the “704(c) Allocations”). The amount of the unrealized gain or unrealized loss (“built-in gain” or “built-in loss”) is generally equal to the difference between the fair market value of the contributed property at the time of contribution and the adjusted tax basis of such property at the time of contribution (a “book-tax difference”). Any property purchased for cash initially will have an adjusted tax basis equal to its fair market value, resulting in no book-tax difference. A book-tax difference generally is decreased on an annual basis as a result of depreciation deductions to the contributing partner for book purposes but not for tax purposes. The 704(c) Allocations are solely for U.S. federal income tax purposes and do not affect the book capital accounts or other economic or legal arrangements among the partners. In the future, our Operating Partnership may acquire property that may have a built-in gain or a built-in loss in exchange for OP units. Our Operating Partnership will have a carryover, rather than a fair market value, adjusted tax basis in such contributed assets equal to the adjusted tax basis of the contributors in such assets, resulting in a book-tax difference. As a result of that book-tax difference, we will have a lower adjusted tax basis with respect to that portion of our Operating Partnership’s assets than we would have with respect to assets having a tax basis equal to fair market value at the time of acquisition. This could result in lower depreciation deductions with respect to the portion of our Operating Partnership’s assets attributable to such contributions.

The U.S. Treasury Department has issued regulations requiring partnerships to use a “reasonable method” for allocating items with respect to which there is a book-tax difference and outlining several reasonable allocation methods. Under certain available methods, the carryover basis of contributed properties in the hands of our Operating Partnership (1) could cause us to be allocated lower amounts of depreciation deductions for tax purposes than would be allocated to us if all contributed properties were to have a tax basis equal to their fair market value at the time of the contribution and (2) in the event of a sale of such properties, could cause us to be allocated taxable gain in excess of the economic or book gain allocated to us as a result of such sale, with a corresponding benefit to the contributing partners. An allocation described in (2) above might cause us to recognize taxable income in excess of cash proceeds in the event of a sale or other disposition of property, which may adversely affect our ability to comply with the REIT distribution requirements and may result in a greater portion of our distributions being taxed as dividends. We have not yet decided what method our Operating Partnership will use to account for book-tax differences.

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Sale of a Partnership’s Property

Generally, any gain realized by a Partnership on the sale of property held by the Partnership for more than one year will be long-term capital gain, except for any portion of such gain that is treated as depreciation or cost recovery recapture. Under Section 704(c) of the Code, any gain or loss recognized by a Partnership on the disposition of contributed properties will be allocated first to the partners of the Partnership who contributed such properties to the extent of their built-in gain or built-in loss on those properties for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The partners’ built-in gain or built-in loss on such contributed properties will equal the difference between the partners’ proportionate share of the book value of those properties and the partners’ tax basis allocable to those properties at the time of the contribution as reduced for any decrease in the “book-tax difference.” See “— Income Taxation of the Partnerships and their Partners — Tax Allocations with Respect to Partnership Properties.” Any remaining gain or loss recognized by the Partnership on the disposition of the contributed properties, and any gain or loss recognized by the Partnership on the disposition of the other properties, will be allocated among the partners in accordance with their respective percentage interests in the Partnership.

Our share of any gain realized by a Partnership on the sale of any property held by the Partnership as inventory or other property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of the Partnership’s trade or business will be treated as income from a prohibited transaction that is subject to a 100% penalty tax. Such prohibited transaction income may have an adverse effect upon our ability to satisfy the income tests for REIT status. See “— Gross Income Tests.” We do not presently intend to acquire or hold or to allow any Partnership to acquire or hold any property that represents inventory or other property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our or such Partnership’s trade or business.

Partnership Audit Rules

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 changes the rules applicable to U.S. federal income tax audits of partnerships. Under the new rules (which are generally effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017), among other changes and subject to certain exceptions, any audit adjustment to items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit of a partnership (and any partner’s distributive share thereof) is determined, and taxes, interest or penalties attributable thereto are assessed and collected, at the partnership level. Although it is uncertain how these new rules will be implemented, it is possible that they could result in partnerships in which we directly or indirectly invest being required to pay additional taxes, interest and penalties as a result of an audit adjustment, and we, as a direct or indirect partner of those partnerships, could be required to bear the economic burden of those taxes, interest and penalties even though we, as a REIT, may not otherwise have been required to pay additional corporate-level taxes as a result of the related audit adjustment. The changes created by these new rules are sweeping and in many respects dependent on the promulgation of future regulations or other guidance by the U.S. Treasury Department. Investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these changes and their potential impact on their investment in our securities.

Legislative or Other Actions Affecting REITs

Several REIT rules were amended under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, which we refer to as the PATH Act, which was enacted on December 18, 2015. These rules were enacted with varying effective dates, some of which are retroactive. Investors should consult with their tax advisors regarding the effect of the PATH Act in their particular circumstances.

The present U.S. federal income tax treatment of REITs may be modified, possibly with retroactive effect, by legislative, judicial or administrative action at any time, which could affect the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment in us. The REIT rules are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department, which may result in statutory changes as well as revisions to regulations and interpretations. Changes to the U.S. federal tax laws and interpretations thereof could adversely affect an investment in our securities. According to publicly released statements, a top legislative priority of the new Congress and administration may be to enact significant reform of the Code, including significant changes to taxation of business entities and the deductibility of interest expense and capital investment. There is a substantial lack of clarity around the likelihood, timing and details of any such tax reform and the impact of any potential tax reform on us or an investment in our securities.

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Any such changes to the tax laws or interpretations thereof, with or without retroactive application, could materially and adversely affect our securityholders or us. We cannot predict how changes in the tax laws might affect our stockholders or us. New legislation, U.S. Treasury Regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions could significantly and negatively affect our ability to continue to qualify as a REIT, or the U.S. federal income tax consequences to our securityholders and us of such qualification, or could have other adverse consequences, including with respect to ownership of our securities. For example, lower revised tax rates for corporations, or for individuals, trusts and estates, might cause current or potential securityholders to perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than is the case under current law. Investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to the status of legislative, regulatory, or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in our securities.

State and Local Taxes

We and/or our securityholders may be subject to taxation by various states and localities, including those in which we or a securityholder transacts business, owns property or resides. The state and local tax treatment may differ from the U.S. federal income tax treatment described above. Consequently, you should consult your tax advisors regarding the effect of state and local tax laws upon an investment in our securities.

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities being offered hereby in one or more of the following ways from time to time:

through agents to the public or to investors;
to underwriters or dealers for resale to the public or to investors;
directly to agents;
in “at-the-market” offerings, within the meaning of Rule 415 of the Securities Act to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market on an exchange or otherwise;
directly to investors;
through a combination of any of these methods of sale; or
in any manner, as provided in the accompanying prospectus supplement.

We may also effect a distribution of the securities offered hereby through the issuance of derivative securities, including without limitation, warrants, forward delivery contracts and the writing of options. In addition, the manner in which we may sell some or all of the securities covered by this prospectus includes, without limitation, through:

a block trade in which a broker-dealer will attempt to sell as agent, but may position or resell a portion of the block, as principal, in order to facilitate the transaction;
purchases by a broker-dealer, as principal, and resale by the broker-dealer for its account;
ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which a broker solicits purchasers; or
privately negotiated transactions.

Subject to maintaining our qualification as a REIT, we may also enter into hedging transactions. For example, we may:

enter into transactions with a broker-dealer or affiliate thereof in connection with which such broker-dealer or affiliate will engage in short sales of securities offered pursuant to this prospectus, in which case such broker-dealer or affiliate may use securities issued pursuant to this prospectus close out its short positions;
sell securities short and redeliver such shares to close out our short positions;
enter into option or other types of transactions that require us to deliver securities to a broker-dealer or an affiliate thereof, who will then resell or transfer securities under this prospectus; or
loan or pledge securities to a broker-dealer or an affiliate thereof, who may sell the loaned securities or, in an event of default in the case of a pledge, sell the pledged securities pursuant to this prospectus.

We will set forth in a prospectus supplement the terms of the offering of securities, including:

the name or names of any agents or underwriters;
the purchase price of the securities being offered and the proceeds we will receive from the sale;
the terms of the securities offered;
any over-allotment options under which underwriters or agents may purchase or place additional securities;
any agency fees or underwriting discounts and other items constituting agents’ or underwriters’ compensation;
any public offering price;

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any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and
any securities exchanges on which such securities may be listed.

Agents

We may designate agents who agree to use their reasonable efforts to solicit purchases for the period of their appointment or to sell the securities being offered hereby on a continuing basis, unless otherwise provided in a prospectus supplement.

We may from time to time engage a broker-dealer to act as our offering agent for one or more offerings of our securities. If we reach agreement with an offering agent with respect to a specific offering, including the number of securities and any minimum price below which sales may not be made, then the offering agent will try to sell such common stock on the agreed terms. The offering agent could make sales in privately negotiated transactions and/or any other method permitted by law, including sales deemed to be an “at-the-market” offering as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act, including sales made directly on the NYSE, or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange. The offering agent will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, with respect to any sales effected through an “at-the-market” offering.

Underwriters

If we use underwriters for a sale of securities, the underwriters will acquire the securities, and may resell the securities in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to the conditions set forth in the applicable underwriting agreement. We may change from time to time any public offering price and any discounts or concessions the underwriters allow or reallow or pay to dealers. We may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe in the prospectus supplement naming the underwriter the nature of any such relationship.

Institutional Purchasers

We may authorize underwriters, dealers or agents to solicit certain institutional investors, approved by us, to purchase our securities on a delayed delivery basis or pursuant to delayed delivery contracts provided for payment and delivery on a specified future date. These institutions may include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies and educational and charitable institutions. We will describe in the prospectus supplement details of any such arrangement, including the offering price and applicable sales commissions payable on such solicitations.

Direct Sales

We may also sell securities directly to one or more purchasers without using underwriters or agents. Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities may be underwriters as defined in the Securities Act and any discounts or commissions they receive from us and any profit on their resale of the securities may be treated as underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. We will identify in the accompanying prospectus supplement any underwriters, dealers or agents and will describe their compensation. We may have agreements with the underwriters, dealers and agents to indemnify them against specified civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of their businesses from time to time.

Underwriting Compensation

Any underwriting compensation paid by us to underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering of securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers, will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, the maximum compensation to be paid to underwriters

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participating in any offering made pursuant to this prospectus will not exceed 8% of the gross proceeds from that offering. In the event that FINRA Rule 5121 applies to any such offering due to the presence of a “conflict of interest” (as that term is defined in FINRA Rule 5121), the prospectus supplement for that offering will contain prominent disclosure with respect to such conflict of interest as required by that rule. Underwriters, dealers and agents may be entitled, under agreements entered into with us and our operating partnership, to indemnification against and contribution toward civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will describe any indemnification agreement in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Trading Markets and Listing of Securities

Unless otherwise specified in the accompanying prospectus supplement, each class or series of securities covered by this prospectus will be a new issue with no established trading market, other than our common stock, which is listed on the NYSE. We may elect to list any other class or series of securities on any exchange, but we are not obligated to do so. It is possible that one or more underwriters may make a market in a class or series of securities, but the underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot give any assurance as to the liquidity of the trading market for any of the securities.

Stabilization Activities

In accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act, underwriters may engage in over-allotment, stabilizing or short covering transactions or penalty bids in connection with an offering of our securities. Over-allotment transactions involve sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum price. Short covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution is completed to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than they would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of the activities at any time.

LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters in connection with the offering of securities covered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. and, with respect to certain matters of Maryland law, Venable LLP.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Global Medical REIT Inc. appearing in Global Medical REIT Inc. Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2016 (including schedules appearing therein), have been audited by MaloneBailey, LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

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[GRAPHIC MISSING]

 

     Shares
 

Common Stock

 
 
 
 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
December   , 2018

  
 
 
  

 
Stifel   BMO Capital Markets