LIFE STORAGE, INC. - Annual Report: 2015 (Form 10-K)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015

Commission File Number: 1-13820

SOVRAN SELF STORAGE, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

6467 Main Street

Williamsville, NY 14221

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

(716) 633-1850

(Registrant’s telephone number including area code)

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

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None

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

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

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

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

As of June 30, 2015, 35,833,639 shares of Common Stock, $.01 par value per share, were outstanding, and the aggregate market value of the Common Stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $3,042,907,782 (based on the closing price of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on June 30, 2015).

As of February 12, 2016, 39,399,691 shares of Common Stock, $.01 par value per share, were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated herein by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the extent stated herein. Such proxy statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.

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Part I

When used in this discussion and elsewhere in this document, the words “intends,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” and similar expressions are intended to identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the effect of competition from new self-storage facilities, which would cause rents and occupancy rates to decline; the Company’s ability to evaluate, finance and integrate acquired businesses into the Company’s existing business and operations; the Company’s ability to effectively compete in the industry in which it does business; the Company’s existing indebtedness may mature in an unfavorable credit environment, preventing refinancing or forcing refinancing of the indebtedness on terms that are not as favorable as the existing terms; interest rates may fluctuate, impacting costs associated with the Company’s outstanding floating rate debt; the Company’s ability to comply with debt covenants; any future ratings on the Company’s debt instruments; regional concentration of the Company’s business may subject it to economic downturns in the states of Florida and Texas; the Company’s reliance on its call center; the Company’s cash flow may be insufficient to meet required payments of operating expenses, principal, interest and dividends; and tax law changes that may change the taxability of future income.

Sovran Self Storage, Inc. together with its direct and indirect subsidiaries and its consolidated joint ventures, to the extent appropriate in the applicable context, (the “Company,” “We,” “Our,” or “Sovran”) is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that acquires, owns and manages self-storage properties. We refer to the self-storage properties in which we have an ownership interest, lease, and/or are managed by us as “Properties.” We began operations on June 26, 1995. We were formed to continue the business of our predecessor company, which had engaged in the self-storage business since 1985. At December 31, 2015, we had an ownership interest in and/or managed 542 self-storage properties in 25 states under the name Uncle Bob’s Self Storage ^®. Among our 542 self-storage properties are 39 properties that we manage for an unconsolidated joint venture (Sovran HHF Storage Holdings LLC) of which we are a 20% owner, 30 properties that we manage for an unconsolidated joint venture (Sovran HHF Storage Holdings II LLC) of which we are a 15% owner, 21 properties that we manage and have no ownership interest. We believe we are the fifth largest operator of self-storage properties in the United States based on square feet owned and managed. Our Properties conduct business under the user-friendly name Uncle Bob’s Self Storage^®.

At December 31, 2015, we own an indirect interest in 521 of the Properties through a limited partnership (the “Partnership”). Included in the 521 properties are the 69 facilities in our unconsolidated joint ventures. In total, we own a 99.5% economic interest in the Partnership and unaffiliated third parties own collectively a 0.5% limited partnership interest at December 31, 2015. We believe that this structure, commonly known as an umbrella partnership real estate investment trust (“UPREIT”), facilitates our ability to acquire properties by using units of the Partnership as currency. By utilizing interests in the Partnership as currency in facility acquisitions, we may partially defer the seller’s income tax liability which in turn may allow us to obtain more favorable pricing.

We were incorporated on April 19, 1995 under Maryland law. Our principal executive offices are located at 6467 Main Street, Williamsville, New York 14221, our telephone number is (716) 633-1850 and our website is www.unclebobs.com.

We seek to enhance shareholder value through internal growth and acquisition of additional storage properties. Internal growth is achieved through aggressive property management: optimizing rental rates, increasing occupancy levels, controlling costs, maximizing collections, and strategically expanding and enhancing the Properties. Should economic conditions warrant, we may develop new properties. We believe that there continue to be opportunities for growth through acquisitions, and constantly seek to acquire self-storage properties that are susceptible to realization of increased economies of scale and improved performance through application of our expertise.

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Industry Overview

We believe that self-storage facilities offer inexpensive storage space to residential and commercial users. In addition to fully enclosed and secure storage space, many facilities also offer outside storage for automobiles, recreational vehicles and boats. Better facilities, such as those owned and/or managed by the Company, are usually fenced and well lighted with automated access systems, surveillance cameras, and have a full-time manager. Our customers rent space on a month-to-month basis and typically have access to their storage space up to 15 hours a day and in certain circumstances are provided with 24-hour access. Individual storage spaces are secured by the customer’s lock, and the customer has sole control of access to the space.

According to the 2016 Self-Storage Almanac, of the approximately 51,000 facilities in the United States (including both core and non-core storage businesses), approximately 14% are managed by the ten largest operators. The remainder of the industry is characterized by numerous small, local operators. The scarcity of capital available to small operators for acquisitions and expansions, internet marketing, and call centers, and the potential for savings through economies of scale are factors that are leading to consolidation in the industry. We believe that, as a result of this trend, significant growth opportunities exist for operators with proven management systems and sufficient capital resources to grow either through acquisitions or third party management platforms.

Property Management

We have 30 years of experience managing self storage facilities and the combined experience of our key personnel makes us one of the leaders in the industry. All of our stores operate under the user-friendly name of Uncle Bob’s Self Storage^®, and we employ the following strategies with respect to our property management:

Our People:

We recognize the importance of quality people to the success of an organization. Accordingly, we hire and train to ensure that all associates can reach their full potential. Each strives to conduct themselves in accordance with our core values: Teamwork, Respect, Accountability, Integrity, and Innovation. In turn, we support them with state of the art training tools including an online learning management system, a company intranet and a network of certified training personnel. Every store team also has frequent, and sometimes daily, interaction with an Area Manager, a Regional Vice President, an Accounting Representative, and other support personnel. As such, our store associates are held to high standards for customer service, store appearance, financial performance, and overall operations.

Training & Development:

Our employees benefit from a wide array of training and development opportunities. New store employees undergo a comprehensive, proprietary training program designed to drive sales and operational results while ensuring the delivery of quality customer service. To supplement their initial training, employees enjoy continuing edification, coaching, and performance feedback throughout their tenure.

All learning and development activities are facilitated through our online training and development portal. This portal delivers and tracks hundreds of on-demand computer based training and compliance courses; it also administers tests, surveys, and the employee appraisal process. Sovran’s training and development program encompasses the tools and support we deem essential to the success of our employees and business.

Marketing and Advertising:

We believe the avenues for attracting and capturing new customers have changed dramatically over the years. As such, we have implemented the following strategies to market our properties and increase profitability:

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Ancillary Income:

We know that our 290,000 customers require more than just a storage space. Knowing this, we offer a wide range of other products and services that fulfill their needs while providing us with ancillary income. Whereas our Uncle Bob’s trucks are available with no rental charge for new move-in customers, they are available for rent to non-customers and existing customers. We also rent moving dollies and blankets, and we carry a wide assortment of moving and packing supplies including boxes, tape, locks, and other essential items. For those customers who do not carry storage insurance, we make available renters insurance through a third party carrier, on which we earn an administrative fee. We also receive incidental income from billboards and cell towers.

Information Systems:

Each of our primary business functions is linked to our customized computer applications, many of which are proprietary. These systems provide for consistent, timely and accurate flow of information throughout our critical platforms:

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Revenue Management:

Our proprietary revenue management system is constantly evolving through the efforts of our revenue management team comprised of a group of analysts. We have the ability to change pricing instantaneously for any one unit type, at any single location, based on the occupancy, competition, and forecasted changes in demand. By analyzing current customer rent tenures, we can implement rental rate increases at optimal times to increase revenues. Advanced pricing analytics enables us to reduce the amount of concessions, attracting a more stable customer base and discouraging short-term price shoppers. This system continues to drive revenues throughout our portfolio.

Property Maintenance:

We take great pride in the appearance and structural integrity of our Properties. All of our Properties go through a thorough annual inspection performed by experienced Project Managers. Those inspections provide the basis for short and long term planned projects that are all performed under a standardized set of specifications. Routine maintenance such as landscaping, pest control, and snowplowing is contracted to local providers who have a clear understanding of our standards. Further, our software tracks repairs, monitors contractor performance and measures the useful life of assets. As with many other aspects of our Company, our size has allowed us to enjoy relatively low maintenance costs because we have the benefit of economies of scale in purchasing, travel, and overhead absorption. In addition, we continually look to green alternatives and implement energy saving alternatives as new technology becomes available. This includes the installation of solar panels, LED lighting, energy efficient air conditioning units, and cool roofs which are all environmentally friendly and have the potential to reduce energy consumption (thereby reducing costs) in the buildings in which they are installed.

Environmental and Other Regulations

We are subject to federal, state, and local environmental regulations that apply generally to the ownership of real property. We have not received notice from any governmental authority or private party of any material environmental noncompliance, claim, or liability in connection with any of the Properties, and are not aware of any environmental condition with respect to any of the Properties that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

The Properties are also generally subject to the same types of local regulations governing other real property, including zoning ordinances. We believe that the Properties are in substantial compliance with all such regulations.

Insurance

Each of the Properties is covered by fire and property insurance (including comprehensive liability), and all-risk property insurance policies, which are provided by reputable companies and on commercially reasonable terms. In addition, we maintain a policy insuring against environmental liabilities resulting from tenant storage on terms customary for the industry, and title insurance insuring fee title to the Company-owned Properties in an amount that we believe to be adequate.

Federal Income Tax

We operate, and intend to continue to operate, in such a manner as to continue to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), but no assurance can be given that we will at all times so qualify. To the extent that we continue to qualify as a REIT, we will not be taxed, with certain limited exceptions, on the taxable income that is distributed to our shareholders. We have elected to treat one of our subsidiaries as a taxable REIT subsidiary. In general, our taxable REIT subsidiary may perform additional services for customers and generally may engage in certain real estate or non-real estate related business. Our taxable REIT subsidiary is subject to corporate federal and state income taxes. See Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—REIT Qualification and Distribution Requirements.”

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Competition

The primary factors upon which competition in the self-storage industry is based are location, rental rates, suitability of the property’s design to prospective customers’ needs, and the manner in which the property is operated and marketed. We believe we compete successfully on these bases. The extent of competition depends significantly on local market conditions. We seek to locate facilities in a manner in which we can increase market share while not adversely affecting any of our existing locations in that market. However, the number of self-storage facilities in a particular area could have a material adverse effect on the performance of any of the Properties.

Several of our competitors are larger and have substantially greater financial resources than we do. These larger operators may, among other possible advantages, be capable of greater leverage and the payment of higher prices for acquisitions.

Investment Policy

While we emphasize equity real estate investments, we may, at our discretion, invest in mortgage and other real estate interests related to self-storage properties in a manner consistent with our qualification as a REIT. We may also retain a purchase money mortgage for a portion of the sale price in connection with the disposition of Properties from time to time. Should investment opportunities become available, we may look to acquire self-storage properties via a joint-venture partnership or similar entity. We may or may not elect to have a significant investment in such a venture, but would use such an opportunity to expand our portfolio of branded and managed properties.

Subject to the percentage of ownership limitations and gross income tests necessary for REIT qualification, we also may invest in securities of entities engaged in real estate activities or securities of other issuers, including for the purpose of exercising control over such entities.

Disposition Policy

Any disposition decision of our Properties is based on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the (i) potential to continue to increase cash flow and value, (ii) sale price, (iii) strategic fit with the rest of our portfolio, (iv) potential for, or existence of, environmental or regulatory issues, (v) alternative uses of capital, and (vi) maintaining qualification as a REIT.

During 2015, we sold three non-strategic storage facilities purchased during 2014 and 2015 in Missouri and South Carolina for net proceeds of approximately $4.6 million, resulting in a loss of approximately $0.5 million. During 2014, we sold two non-strategic storage facilities in Texas for net proceeds of approximately $11.0 million resulting in a gain of approximately $5.2 million. During 2013, we sold four non-strategic storage facilities in Florida, Ohio, and Virginia for net proceeds of approximately $11.7 million resulting in a gain of approximately $2.4 million.

Distribution Policy

We intend to pay regular quarterly distributions to our shareholders. However, future distributions by us will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend on the actual cash available for distribution, our financial condition and capital requirements, the annual distribution requirements under the REIT provisions of the Code and such other factors as the Board of Directors deems relevant. In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we must make annual distributions to shareholders of at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (which does not include capital gains). Under certain circumstances, we may be required to make distributions in excess of cash available for distribution in order to meet the minimum requirements.

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Financing Policy

Our Board of Directors currently limits the amount of debt that may be incurred by us to less than 50% of the sum of the market value of our issued and outstanding Common and Preferred Stock plus our debt. We, however, may from time to time re-evaluate and modify our borrowing policy in light of then current economic conditions, relative costs of debt and equity capital, market values of properties, growth and acquisition opportunities and other factors. In addition to our Board of Directors’ debt limits, our most restrictive debt covenants limit our leverage. However, we believe cash flow from operations, access to the capital markets and access to our credit facility, as described below, are adequate to execute our current business plan and remain in compliance with our debt covenants.

We have a $300 million revolving line of credit bearing interest at a variable rate equal to LIBOR plus a margin based on the Company’s credit rating (at December 31, 2015 the margin was 1.30%). At December 31, 2015, there was $221 million available on the unsecured line of credit without considering the additional availability under the credit facility expansion feature. The revolving line of credit has a maturity date of December 2019. In January 2016, the Company exercised the expansion feature of its revolving line of credit and increased the credit limit from $300 million to $500 million.

On March 3, 2015, the Company completed the public offering of 1,380,000 shares of its common stock at $90.40 per share. Net proceeds to the Company after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses were approximately $119.5 million. The Company used the net proceeds from the offering to repay a portion of the indebtedness outstanding on the Company’s unsecured line of credit.

On January 20, 2016, the Company agreed to issue and sell 2,300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $.01 per share, plus up to an additional 345,000 shares of common stock pursuant to the underwriters’ option, at a price to the public of $105.75 per share. The underwriters’ exercised their option in full. The offering of 2,645,000 shares of the Company’s common stock closed on January 25, 2016, resulting in net proceeds to the Company of approximately $269.7 million.

During 2015, the Company also issued 949,911 shares of common stock under the Company’s continuous equity offering program (“Equity Program”) at a weighted average issue price of $96.80 per share, generating net proceeds of $90.6 million. During 2014, we issued 924,403 shares under the Equity Program and 359,102 shares under our previous Equity Program for net proceeds of approximately $99.2 million. During 2013, we issued 1,667,819 shares under our previous Equity Program for net proceeds of approximately $107.8 million. As of December 31, 2015, the Company has $59.3 million availability for issuance of shares under the current Equity Program.

To the extent that we desire to obtain additional capital to pay distributions, to provide working capital, to pay existing indebtedness or to finance acquisitions, expansions or development of new properties, we may utilize amounts available under the line of credit, common or preferred stock offerings, floating or fixed rate debt financing, retention of cash flow (subject to satisfying our distribution requirements under the REIT rules) or a combination of these methods. Additional debt financing may also be obtained through mortgages on our Properties, which may be recourse, non-recourse, or cross-collateralized and may contain cross-default provisions. We have not established any limit on the number or amount of mortgages that may be placed on any single Property or on our portfolio as a whole, although certain of our existing term loans contain limits on overall mortgage indebtedness. For additional information regarding borrowings, see Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” and Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements filed herewith.

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Employees

We currently employ a total of 1,429 employees, including 542 property managers, 33 area managers, and 645 associate managers and part-time employees. At our headquarters, in addition to our six senior executive officers, we employ 203 people engaged in various support activities, including accounting, human resources, customer care, and management information systems. None of our employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our employee relations to be excellent.

Available Information

We file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission quarterly and annual reports on Forms 10-Q and 10-K, respectively, current reports on Form 8-K, and proxy statements pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, in addition to other information as required. The public may read and copy any materials that we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1 (800) SEC-0330. We file this information with the SEC electronically, and the SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports are available free of charge on our web site at http://www.unclebobs.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. In addition, our Codes of Ethics and Charters of our Governance Committee, Audit Committee, and Compensation Committee are available free of charge on our website at http://www.unclebobs.com.

Also, copies of our annual report and Charters of our Governance Committee, Audit Committee, and Compensation Committee will be made available, free of charge, upon written request to Sovran Self Storage, Inc., Attn: Investor Relations, 6467 Main Street, Williamsville, NY 14221.

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You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all of the other information included in or incorporated by reference into our Form 10-K, as part of your evaluation of the Company. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business could be harmed. In such case, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Our Acquisitions May Not Perform as Anticipated

We have completed hundreds of acquisitions of self-storage facilities since our initial public offering of common stock in June 1995. Our strategy is to continue to grow by acquiring additional self-storage facilities. Acquisitions entail risks that investments will fail to perform in accordance with our expectations. Our judgments with respect to the prices paid for acquired self-storage facilities and the costs of any improvements required to bring an acquired property up to our standards may prove to be inaccurate. Acquisitions also involve general investment risks associated with any new real estate investment.

We May Incur Problems with Our Real Estate Financing

Unsecured Credit Facility and Term Notes. We have a line of credit and term note agreements with a syndicate of financial institutions and other lenders. This unsecured credit facility and the term notes are recourse to us and the required payments are not reduced if the economic performance of any of the properties declines. The unsecured credit facility limits our ability to make distributions to our shareholders, except in limited circumstances.

Rising Interest Rates. Indebtedness that we incur under the unsecured credit facility and bank term notes bears interest at a variable rate. Accordingly, increases in interest rates could increase our interest expense, which would reduce our cash available for distribution and our ability to pay expected distributions to our shareholders. We manage our exposure to rising interest rates using interest rate swaps and other available mechanisms. If the amount of our indebtedness bearing interest at a variable rate increases, our unsecured credit facility may require us to enter into additional interest rate swaps.

Refinancing May Not Be Available. It may be necessary for us to refinance our term notes and our unsecured credit facility through additional debt financing or equity offerings. If we were unable to refinance this indebtedness on acceptable terms, we might be forced to dispose of some of our self-storage facilities upon disadvantageous terms, which might result in losses to us and might adversely affect the cash available for distribution. If prevailing interest rates or other factors at the time of refinancing result in higher interest rates on refinancings, our interest expense would increase, which would adversely affect our cash available for distribution and our ability to pay expected distributions to shareholders.

Covenants and Risk of Default. Our unsecured credit facility and term notes require us to operate within certain covenants, including financial covenants with respect to leverage, fixed charge coverage, minimum net worth, limitations on additional indebtedness and dividend limitations. If we violate any of these covenants or otherwise default under our unsecured credit facility or term notes, then our lenders could declare all indebtedness under these facilities to be immediately due and payable which would have a material adverse effect on our business and could require us to sell self-storage facilities under distressed conditions and seek replacement financing on substantially more expensive terms.

Reduction in or Loss of Credit Rating. Certain of our debt instruments require us to maintain an investment grade rating from at least one and in some cases two debt ratings agencies. Should we fail to attain an investment grade rating from the agencies, the interest rate on our line of credit would increase by 0.30%, the interest rate on $325 million of our bank term notes would increase by 0.40%, and the interest rates on our $150 million term note due 2016, our $100 million term note due 2021, and our $175 million term note due 2024 would each increase by 1.750%.

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Our Debt Levels May Increase

Our Board of Directors currently has a policy of limiting the amount of our debt at the time of incurrence to less than 50% of the sum of the market value of our issued and outstanding common stock and preferred stock plus the amount of our debt at the time that debt is incurred. However, our organizational documents do not contain any limitation on the amount of indebtedness we might incur. Accordingly, our Board of Directors could alter or eliminate the current policy limitation on borrowing without a vote of our shareholders. We could become highly leveraged if this policy were changed. However, our ability to incur debt is limited by covenants in our bank credit arrangements.

We Are Subject to the Risks Posed by Fluctuating Demand and Significant Competition in the Self-Storage Industry

Our self-storage facilities are subject to all operating risks common to the self-storage industry. These risks include but are not limited to the following:

Our current strategy is to acquire interests only in self-storage facilities. Consequently, we are subject to risks inherent in investments in a single industry. Our self-storage facilities compete with other self-storage facilities in their geographic markets. As a result of competition, the self-storage facilities could experience a decrease in occupancy levels and rental rates, which would decrease our cash available for distribution. We compete in operations and for acquisition opportunities with companies that have substantial financial resources. Competition may reduce the number of suitable acquisition opportunities offered to us and increase the bargaining power of property owners seeking to sell. The self-storage industry has at times experienced overbuilding in response to perceived increases in demand. A recurrence of overbuilding might cause us to experience a decrease in occupancy levels, limit our ability to increase rents, and compel us to offer discounted rents.

Our Real Estate Investments Are Illiquid and Are Subject to Uninsurable Risks and Government Regulation

General Risks. Our investments are subject to varying degrees of risk generally related to the ownership of real property. The underlying value of our real estate investments and our income and ability to make distributions to our shareholders are dependent upon our ability to operate the self-storage facilities in a manner sufficient to maintain or increase cash available for distribution. Income from our self-storage facilities may be adversely affected by the following factors:

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Illiquidity of Real Estate May Limit its Value. Real estate investments are relatively illiquid. Our ability to vary our portfolio of self-storage facilities in response to changes in economic and other conditions is limited. In addition, provisions of the Code may limit our ability to profit on the sale of self-storage facilities held for fewer than two years. We may be unable to dispose of a facility when we find disposition advantageous or necessary and the sale price of any disposition may not equal or exceed the amount of our investment.

Uninsured and Underinsured Losses Could Reduce the Value of our Self Storage Facilities. Some losses, generally of a catastrophic nature, that we potentially face with respect to our self-storage facilities may be uninsurable or not insurable at an acceptable cost. Our management uses its discretion in determining amounts, coverage limits and deductibility provisions of insurance, with a view to acquiring appropriate insurance on our investments at a reasonable cost and on suitable terms. These decisions may result in insurance coverage that, in the event of a substantial loss, would not be sufficient to pay the full current market value or current replacement cost of our lost investment. Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations, and other factors also might make it infeasible to use insurance proceeds to replace a property after it has been damaged or destroyed. Under those circumstances, the insurance proceeds received by us might not be adequate to restore our economic position with respect to a particular property.

Possible Liability Relating to Environmental Matters. Under various federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations, a current or previous owner or operator of real property may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of hazardous or toxic substances on, under, or in that property. Those laws often impose liability even if the owner or operator did not cause or know of the presence of hazardous or toxic substances and even if the storage of those substances was in violation of a customer’s lease. In addition, the presence of hazardous or toxic substances, or the failure of the owner to address their presence on the property, may adversely affect the owner’s ability to borrow using that real property as collateral. In connection with the ownership of the self-storage facilities, we may be potentially liable for any of those costs.

Americans with Disabilities Act. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or ADA, generally requires that buildings be made accessible to persons with disabilities. A determination that we are not in compliance with the ADA could result in imposition of fines or an award of damages to private litigants. If we were required to make modifications to comply with the ADA, our results of operations and ability to make expected distributions to our shareholders could be adversely affected.

There Are Limitations on the Ability to Change Control of Sovran

Limitation on Ownership and Transfer of Shares. To maintain our qualification as a REIT, not more than 50% in value of our outstanding shares of stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals, as defined in the Code. To limit the possibility that we will fail to qualify as a REIT under this test, our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (“Articles of Incorporation”) include ownership limits and transfer restrictions on shares of our stock. Our Articles of Incorporation limit ownership of our issued and outstanding stock by any single shareholder to 9.8% of the aggregate value of our outstanding stock, except that the ownership by some of our shareholders is limited to 15%.

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These ownership limits may:

Our Board of Directors may waive the ownership limits if it is satisfied that ownership by those shareholders in excess of those limits will not jeopardize our status as a REIT under the Code or in the event it determines that it is no longer in our best interests to be a REIT. Waivers have been granted to the former holders of our Series C preferred stock, FMR Corporation, Cohen & Steers, Inc. and Invesco Advisers, Inc. A transfer of our common stock and/or preferred stock to a person who, as a result of the transfer, violates the ownership limits may not be effective under some circumstances.

Other Limitations. Other limitations could have the effect of discouraging a takeover or other transaction in which holders of some, or a majority, of our outstanding common stock might receive a premium for their shares of our common stock that exceeds the then prevailing market price or that those holders might believe to be otherwise in their best interest. The issuance of additional shares of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of Sovran even if a change in control were in the shareholders’ interest. In addition, the Maryland General Corporation Law, or MGCL, imposes restrictions and requires specific procedures with respect to the acquisition of stated levels of share ownership and business combinations, including combinations with interested shareholders. These provisions of the MGCL could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of Sovran even if a change in control were in the shareholders’ interest. Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the MGCL control share acquisition statute any and all acquisitions by any person of shares of our stock. However, this provision may be amended or eliminated at any time. In addition, under the Partnership’s agreement of limited partnership, in general, we may not merge, consolidate or engage in any combination with another person or sell all or substantially all of our assets unless that transaction includes the merger or sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership, which requires the approval of the holders of 75% of the limited partnership interests thereof. If we were to own less than 75% of the limited partnership interests in the Partnership, this provision of the limited partnership agreement could have the effect of delaying or preventing us from engaging in some change of control transactions.

Our Failure to Qualify as a REIT Would Have Adverse Consequences

We intend to continue to operate in a manner that will permit us to qualify as a REIT under the Code. We have not requested and do not plan to request a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) that we qualify as a REIT, and the statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are not binding on the IRS or any court. Qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex Code provisions for which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations. Continued qualification as a REIT depends upon our continuing ability to meet various requirements concerning, among other things, the ownership of our outstanding stock, the nature of our assets, the sources of our income and the amount of our distributions to our shareholders. The fact that we hold substantially all of our assets through our Partnership and its subsidiaries and joint ventures further complicates the application of the REIT requirements for us. Even a technical or inadvertent mistake could jeopardize our REIT status and, given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs and the ongoing importance of factual determinations, we cannot provide any assurance that we will continue to qualify as a REIT. Furthermore, Congress and the IRS might make changes to the tax laws and regulations, and the courts and the IRS might issue new rulings, that make it more difficult, or impossible, for us to remain qualified as a REIT.

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If we were to fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, and are unable to avail ourselves of certain savings provisions set forth in the Code, we would not be allowed a deduction for distributions to shareholders in computing our taxable income and would be subject to federal income tax (including any applicable alternative minimum tax and possibly increased state and local taxes) on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. Unless entitled to relief under certain Code provisions, we also would be ineligible for qualification as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which our qualification was lost. As a result, distributions to the shareholders would be reduced for each of the years involved. Although we currently intend to continue to operate in a manner designed to qualify as a REIT, it is possible that future economic, market, legal, tax or other considerations may cause our Board of Directors to revoke our REIT election. If we fail to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and are able to avail ourselves of one or more of the statutory savings provisions in order to maintain our REIT status, we would nevertheless be required to pay penalty taxes of $50,000 or more for each such failure.

We Will Pay Some Taxes Even if We Qualify as a REIT, Reducing Cash Available for Shareholders

Even if we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we are required to pay some federal, state and local taxes on our income and property. For example, we will be subject to income tax to the extent we distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income (including capital gains). Additionally, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which dividends paid by us in any calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income and 100% of our undistributed income from prior years. Moreover, if we have net income from “prohibited transactions,” that income will be subject to a 100% tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. The determination as to whether a particular sale is a prohibited transaction depends on the facts and circumstances related to that sale. While we will undertake sales of assets if those assets become inconsistent with our long-term strategic or return objectives, we do not believe that those sales should be considered prohibited transactions, but there can be no assurance that the IRS would not contend otherwise. The need to avoid prohibited transactions could cause us to forego or defer sales of properties that might otherwise be in our best interest to sell.

One of our subsidiaries has elected to be treated as a “taxable REIT subsidiary” of the Company for federal income tax purposes. A taxable REIT subsidiary is taxed as a regular corporation and is limited in its ability to deduct interest payments made to us in excess of a certain amount. In addition, if we receive or accrue certain amounts and the underlying economic arrangements among our taxable REIT subsidiary and us are not comparable to similar arrangements among unrelated parties, we will be subject to a 100% penalty tax on those payments in excess of amounts deemed reasonable between unrelated parties.

Finally, some state and local jurisdictions may tax some of our income even though as a REIT we are not subject to federal income tax on that income because not all states and localities follow the federal income tax treatment of REITs. To the extent that we are or any taxable REIT subsidiary is required to pay federal, foreign, state or local taxes, we will have less cash available for distribution to shareholders.

Complying with REIT Requirements May Limit Our Ability to Hedge Effectively and May Cause Us to Incur Tax Liabilities

The REIT provisions of the Code may limit our ability to hedge our assets and operations. Under these provisions, any income that we generate from transactions intended to hedge our interest rate risk will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the REIT 75% and 95% gross income tests if the instrument hedges interest rate risk on liabilities used to carry or acquire real estate assets or manages the risk of certain currency fluctuations, and such instrument is properly identified under applicable Treasury Regulations. Income from hedging transactions that do not meet these requirements will generally constitute non-qualifying income for purposes of both the REIT 75% and 95% gross income tests. As a result of these rules, we may have to limit our use of hedging techniques that might otherwise be advantageous or implement those hedges through a taxable REIT subsidiary. This could increase the cost of our hedging activities because our taxable REIT subsidiary would be subject to tax on gains or expose us to greater risks associated with changes in interest rates than we would otherwise want to bear. In addition, losses in our taxable REIT subsidiary will generally not provide any tax benefit, except for being carried back or forward against past or future taxable income in the taxable REIT subsidiary.

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Complying with the REIT Requirements May Cause Us to Forgo and/or Liquidate Otherwise Attractive Investments

To qualify as a REIT, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, the nature and diversification of our assets, the amounts that we distribute to our shareholders and the ownership of our shares. To meet these tests, we may be required to take or forgo taking actions that we would otherwise consider advantageous. For instance, in order to satisfy the gross income or asset tests applicable to REITs under the Code, we may be required to forgo investments that we otherwise would make. Furthermore, we may be required to liquidate from our portfolio otherwise attractive investments. In addition, we may be required to make distributions to shareholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. These actions could reduce our income and amounts available for distribution to our shareholders. Thus, compliance with the REIT requirements may hinder our investment performance.

If the Partnership Fails to Qualify as a Partnership for Federal Income Tax Purposes, We Could Fail to Qualify as a REIT and Suffer Other Adverse Consequences

We believe that our Partnership is organized and operated in a manner so as to be treated as a partnership and not an association or a publicly traded partnership taxable as a corporation, for federal income tax purposes. As a partnership, our Partnership is not subject to federal income tax on its income. Instead, each of the partners is allocated its share of our Partnership’s income. No assurance can be provided, however, that the IRS will not challenge our Partnership’s status as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, or that a court would not sustain such a challenge. If the IRS were successful in treating our Partnership as an association or publicly traded partnership taxable as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, we would fail to meet the gross income tests and certain of the asset tests applicable to REITs and, accordingly, would cease to qualify as a REIT. Also, the failure of the Partnership to qualify as a partnership would cause it to become subject to federal corporate income tax, which would reduce significantly the amount of its cash available for distribution to its partners, including us.

We May Change the Dividend Policy for Our Common Stock in the Future

In 2015, our Board of Directors authorized and we declared quarterly common stock dividends of $0.75 per share in January and April, and $0.85 per share for July and October, for a total 2015 dividend per share annual rate of $3.20 per share. In addition, our board of directors authorized and we declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.85 per share in January 2016. We can provide no assurance that our board will not reduce or eliminate entirely dividend distributions on our common stock in the future.

Our Board of Directors will continue to evaluate our distribution policy on a quarterly basis as they monitor the capital markets and the impact of the economy on our operations. The decisions to authorize and pay dividends on our common stock in the future, as well as the timing, amount and composition of any such future dividends, will be at the sole discretion of our board of directors in light of conditions then existing, including our earnings, financial condition, capital requirements, debt maturities, the availability of capital, applicable REIT and legal restrictions and the general overall economic conditions and other factors. Any change in our dividend policy could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

Market Interest Rates May Influence the Price of Our Common Stock

One of the factors that may influence the price of our common stock in public trading markets or in private transactions is the annual yield on our common stock as compared to yields on other financial instruments. An increase in market interest rates will result in higher yields on other financial instruments, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock.

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Regional Concentration of Our Business May Subject Us to Economic Downturns in the States of Texas and Florida

As of December 31, 2015, 218 of our 542 self-storage facilities are located in the states of Texas and Florida. For the year ended December 31, 2015, these facilities accounted for approximately 41% of store revenues. This concentration of business in Texas and Florida exposes us to potential losses resulting from a downturn in the economies of those states. If economic conditions in those states deteriorate, we may experience a reduction in existing and new business, which may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

When We Acquire Properties in New Markets, We Will Be Subject to Increased Operational Risks

We may acquire self-storage properties in markets where we have little or no operational experience. For example, we have acquired in 2016 four self-storage properties and are under contract to acquire four more self-storage properties in California, a state where we have not previously operated. When we enter into new markets, we will be subject to increased risks resulting from our lack of experience and infrastructure in these markets and may need to incur additional costs, both expected and unexpected, in order to develop our operating capabilities in these markets. These risks could materially and adversely affect us, including our growth prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in Taxation of Corporate Dividends May Adversely Affect the Value of Our Common Stock

The maximum marginal rate of tax payable by domestic noncorporate taxpayers on dividends received from a regular “C” corporation under current federal law generally is 20%, as opposed to higher ordinary income rates. The reduced tax rate, however, does not apply to distributions paid to domestic noncorporate taxpayers by a REIT on its stock, except for certain limited amounts. The earnings of a REIT that are distributed to its stockholders generally remain subject to less federal income taxation than earnings of a non-REIT “C” corporation that are distributed to its stockholders net of corporate-level income tax. However, the lower rate of taxation to dividends paid by regular “C” corporations could cause domestic noncorporate investors to view the stock of regular “C” corporations as more attractive relative to the stock of a REIT, because the dividends from regular “C” corporations continue to be taxed at a lower rate while distributions from REITs (other than distributions designated as capital gain dividends) are generally taxed at the same rate as other ordinary income for domestic noncorporate taxpayers.

We are heavily dependent on computer systems, telecommunications and the Internet to process transactions, summarize results and manage our business. Security breaches or a failure of such networks, systems or technology could adversely impact our business and customer relationships.

We are heavily dependent upon automated information technology and Internet commerce, with many of our new customers coming from the Internet or the telephone, and the nature of our business involves the receipt and retention of personal information about them. We centrally manage significant components of our operations with our computer systems, including our financial information, and we also rely extensively on third-party vendors to retain data, process transactions and provide other systems services. These systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer worms, viruses and other destructive or disruptive security breaches and catastrophic events.

As a result, our operations could be severely impacted by a natural disaster, terrorist attack or other circumstance that resulted in a significant outage of our systems or those of our third party providers, despite our use of back up and redundancy measures. Further, viruses and other related risks could negatively impact our information technology processes. We could also be subject to a “cyber-attack” or other data security breach which would penetrate our network security, resulting in misappropriation of our confidential information, including customer personal information. System disruptions and shutdowns could also result in additional costs to repair or replace such networks or information systems and possible legal liability, including government enforcement actions and private litigation. In addition, our customers could lose confidence in our ability to protect their personal information, which could cause them to move out of rented storage spaces. Such events could lead to lost future sales and adversely affect our results of operations.

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None.

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At December 31, 2015, we held ownership interests in, leased, and/or managed a total of 542 Properties situated in twenty-five states. Among our 542 self-storage properties are 39 properties that we manage for an unconsolidated joint venture of which we are a 20% owner, 30 properties that we manage for an unconsolidated joint venture of which we are a 15% owner and 21 properties that we manage and in which have no ownership interest.

Our self-storage facilities offer inexpensive, easily accessible, enclosed storage space to residential and commercial users on a month-to-month basis. Most of our Properties are fenced and well lighted with automated access systems and surveillance cameras. A majority of the Properties are single-story, thereby providing customers with the convenience of direct vehicle access to their storage spaces. Our stores range in size from 18,000 to 181,000 net rentable square feet, with an average of approximately 68,000 net rentable square feet. The Properties generally are constructed of masonry or steel walls resting on concrete slabs and have standing seam metal, shingle, or tar and gravel roofs. All Properties have a property manager on-site during business hours. Generally, customers have access to their storage space up to 15 hours a day, and some customers are provided 24-hour access. Individual storage spaces are secured by a lock furnished by the customer to provide the customer with control of access to the space.

All of the Properties conduct business under the user-friendly name Uncle Bob’s Self Storage ^®.

The following table provides certain information regarding the Properties in which we have an ownership interest, lease, and/or manage as of December 31, 2015:

At December 31, 2015, the Properties had an average occupancy of 89.0% and an annualized rent per occupied square foot of $13.08.

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On or about August 25, 2014, a putative class action was filed against the Company in the Superior Court of New Jersey Law Division Burlington County. The action seeks to obtain declaratory, injunctive and monetary relief for a class of consumers based upon alleged violations by the Company of the New Jersey Truth in Customer Contract, Warranty and Notice Act, the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act and the New Jersey Insurance Producer Licensing Act. On October 17, 2014, the action was removed from the Superior Court of New Jersey Law Division Burlington County to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. The Company brought a motion to partially dismiss the complaint for failure to state a claim, and on July 16, 2015, the Company’s motion was granted in part and denied in part. The Company intends to vigorously defend the action, and the possibility of any adverse outcome cannot be determined at this time.

Not Applicable

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Part II

Our Common Stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SSS.” Set forth below are the high and low sales prices for our Common Stock for each full quarterly period within the two most recent fiscal years.

As of February 12, 2016, there were approximately 713 holders of record of our Common Stock. These figures do not include common shares held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of shareholders.

We have paid quarterly dividends to our shareholders since our inception. Reflected in the table below are the dividends paid in the last two years.

For federal income tax purposes, distributions to shareholders are treated as ordinary income, capital gain, return of capital or a combination thereof. Distributions to shareholders for 2015 represent 100% ordinary income.

History of Dividends Declared on Common Stock

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EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

The following table sets forth certain information as of December 31, 2015, with respect to equity compensation plans under which shares of the Company’s Common Stock may be issued.

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CORPORATE PERFORMANCE GRAPH

The following chart and line-graph presentation compares (i) the Company’s shareholder return on an indexed basis since December 31, 2010 with (ii) the S&P Stock Index and (iii) the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts Equity Index.

CUMULATIVE TOTAL SHAREHOLDER RETURN

SOVRAN SELF STORAGE, INC.

DECEMBER 31, 2010 - DECEMBER 31, 2015

The foregoing item assumes $100.00 invested on December 31, 2010, with dividends reinvested.

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The following selected financial and operating information should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

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The following discussion and analysis of the consolidated financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this report.

Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

When used in this discussion and elsewhere in this document, the words “intends,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” and similar expressions are intended to identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the effect of competition from new self-storage facilities, which would cause rents and occupancy rates to decline; the Company’s ability to evaluate, finance and integrate acquired businesses into the Company’s existing business and operations; the Company’s ability to effectively compete in the industry in which it does business; the Company’s existing indebtedness may mature in an unfavorable credit environment, preventing refinancing or forcing refinancing of the indebtedness on terms that are not as favorable as the existing terms; interest rates may fluctuate, impacting costs associated with the Company’s outstanding floating rate debt; the Company’s ability to comply with debt covenants; any future ratings on the Company’s debt instruments; the regional concentration of the Company’s business may subject it to economic downturns in the states of Florida and Texas; the Company’s reliance on its call center; the Company’s cash flow may be insufficient to meet required payments of operating expenses, principal, interest and dividends; and tax law changes that may change the taxability of future income.

Business and Overview

We believe we are the fifth largest operator of self-storage properties in the United States based on square feet owned and managed. All of our stores are operated under the user-friendly name “Uncle Bob’s Self Storage”^®.

Operating Strategy

Our operating strategy is designed to generate growth and enhance value by:

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B. Acquiring additional stores:

C. Expanding our management business:

D. Expanding and enhancing our existing stores:

Supply and Demand / Operating Trends

We believe the supply and demand model in the self-storage industry is micro market specific in that a majority of our business comes from within a five mile radius of our stores. The recent economic conditions and the credit market environment have resulted in a decrease in new supply on a national basis in the last five years. With the recent loosening of the debt and equity markets, we have seen capitalization rates on quality acquisitions (expected annual return on investment) decrease from approximately 5.75% to 5.00%.

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Although our industry experienced softness in 2008 through 2011, our same store sales showed positive increases save for 2009, when we showed a 3.1% decrease in same store revenue. That was the first time in recent history that we recorded negative same store sales. We feel our recent performance further supports the notion that the self-storage industry holds up well through recessions.

We believe our same-store move-ins in 2015 were lower than 2014 due to the fact that our stores were higher occupied in 2015, resulting in less space to rent. We believe the reduction in same store move outs is a result of longer staying customers.

We were able to maintain relatively flat expenses at the store operating level from 2009 through 2012, but did see above average increases in property taxes and insurance in 2013, and above average increases in property taxes in 2014 and 2015. We do expect same store expense growth to see pressure from wages, health costs and property tax increases in 2016. We believe the same store expense increases will be at manageable levels.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported in our financial statements and the accompanying notes. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to carrying values of storage facilities, bad debts, and contingencies and litigation. We base these estimates on experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Assigning purchase price to assets acquired: The purchase price of acquired storage facilities is assigned primarily to land, land improvements, building, equipment, and in-place customer leases based on the fair values of these assets as of the date of acquisition. We use significant unobservable inputs in our determination of the fair values of these assets. The determination of these inputs involves judgments and estimates that can vary for each individual property based on a number of factors specific to the properties and the functional, economic and other factors affecting each property. To determine the fair value of land, we use prices per acre derived from observed transactions involving comparable land in similar locations. To determine the fair value of buildings, equipment and improvements, we use current replacement cost based on information derived from construction industry data by geographic region as adjusted for the age, condition, and economic obsolescence associated with these assets. The fair values of in-place customer leases is based on the rent lost due to the amount of time required to replace existing customers which is based on our historical experience with turnover in our facilities.

Carrying value of storage facilities: We believe our judgment regarding the impairment of the carrying value of our storage facilities is a critical accounting policy. Our policy is to assess the carrying value of our storage facilities for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of a storage facility may not be recoverable. Such events or circumstances would include negative operating cash flow, significant declining revenue per storage facility, significant damage sustained from accidents or natural disasters, or an expectation that, more likely than not, a property will be sold or otherwise disposed of significantly before the end of its previously estimated useful life. Impairment is evaluated based upon comparing the sum of the expected undiscounted future cash flows to the carrying value of the storage facility, on a property by property basis. If the sum of the undiscounted cash flow is less than the carrying amount, an impairment loss is recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the fair value of the asset group. If cash flow projections are inaccurate and in the future it is determined that storage facility carrying values are not recoverable, impairment charges may be required at that time and could materially affect our operating results and financial position. Estimates of undiscounted cash flows could change based upon changes in market conditions, expected occupancy rates, etc. No assets had been determined to be impaired under this policy in 2015.

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Estimated useful lives of long-lived assets: We believe that the estimated lives used for our depreciable, long-lived assets is a critical accounting policy. We periodically evaluate the estimated useful lives of our long-lived assets to determine if any changes are warranted based upon various factors, including changes in the planned usage of the assets, customer demand, etc. Changes in estimated useful lives of these assets could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations. We have not made significant changes to the estimated useful lives of our long-lived assets in the past and we do not have any current expectation of making significant changes in 2016.

Consolidation and investment in joint ventures: We consolidate all wholly owned subsidiaries. Partially owned subsidiaries and joint ventures are consolidated when we control the entity or have the power to direct the activities most significant to the economic performance of the entity. Investments in joint ventures that we do not control but over which we have significant influence are reported using the equity method. Under the equity method, our investment in joint ventures are stated at cost and adjusted for our share of net earnings or losses and reduced by distributions. Equity in earnings of real estate ventures is generally recognized based on our ownership interest in the earnings of each of the unconsolidated real estate ventures.

Revenue and Expense Recognition: Rental income is recognized when earned pursuant to month-to-month leases for storage space. Promotional discounts are recognized as a reduction to rental income over the promotional period, which is generally during the first month of occupancy. Rental income received prior to the start of the rental period is included in deferred revenue.

Qualification as a REIT: We operate, and intend to continue to operate, as a REIT under the Code, but no assurance can be given that we will at all times so qualify. To the extent that we continue to qualify as a REIT, we will not be taxed, with certain limited exceptions, on the taxable income that is distributed to our shareholders. If we fail to qualify as a REIT, any requirement to pay federal income taxes could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 to the financial statements.

YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2015 COMPARED TO YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014

We recorded rental revenues of $338.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase of $36.4 million or 12.0% when compared to 2014 rental revenues of $302.0 million. Of the increase in rental revenue, $16.9 million resulted from a 5.9% increase in rental revenues at the 399 core properties considered in same store sales (those properties included in the consolidated results of operations since January 1, 2014, excluding the properties we sold in 2015 and 2014). The increase in same store rental revenues was a result of a 110 basis point increase in average occupancy and a 4.3% increase in rental income per square foot. The remaining increase in rental revenue of $19.5 million resulted from the revenues from the acquisition of 56 properties completed since January 1, 2014 (excluding the four properties purchased in 2015 that had been leased since November 2013 and are included in the same store pool), slightly offset with the revenue decrease as a result of three self storage properties sold in 2015. Other operating income, which includes merchandise sales, insurance administrative fees, truck rentals, management fees and acquisition fees, increased by $4.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to 2014 primarily as a result of increased administrative fees earned on customer insurance and an increase in management fees.

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Property operations and maintenance expenses increased $6.6 million or 8.7% in 2015 compared to 2014. The 399 core properties considered in the same store pool experienced a $1.3 million or 1.9% increase in operating expenses as a result of increases in payroll and maintenance costs. The same store pool benefited from reduced utilities, insurance and yellow page advertising expense. In addition to the same store operating expense increase, operating expenses increased $5.3 million from the acquisition of 56 properties completed since January 1, 2014 (excluding the four properties purchased in 2015 that had been leased since November 2013 and are included in the same store pool). Real estate tax expense increased $4.5 million as a result of a 5.2% increase in property taxes on the 399 same store pool and the inclusion of taxes on the properties acquired or leased in 2015 and 2014.

Our 2015 same store results consist of only those properties that were included in our consolidated results since January 1, 2014, excluding the properties we sold in 2015 and 2014. The following table sets forth operating data for our 399 same store properties. These results provide information relating to property operating changes without the effects of acquisition.

Same Store Summary

Net operating income increased $29.5 million or 13.5% as a result of a 7.9% increase in our same store net operating income and the acquisitions completed since January 1, 2014.

Net operating income or “NOI” is a non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) financial measure that we define as total continuing revenues less continuing property operating expenses. NOI also can be calculated by adding back to net income: interest expense, impairment and casualty losses, operating lease expense, depreciation and amortization expense, acquisition related costs, general and administrative expense, and deducting from net income: income from discontinued operations, interest income, gain on sale of real estate, and equity in income of joint ventures. We believe that NOI is a meaningful measure of operating performance because we utilize NOI in making decisions with respect to capital allocations, in determining current property values, and in comparing period-to-period and market-to-market property operating results. NOI should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP, such as total revenues, operating income and net income. There are material limitations to using a measure such as NOI, including the difficulty associated with comparing results among more than one company and the inability to analyze certain significant items, including depreciation and interest expense, that directly affect our net income. We compensate for these limitations by considering the economic effect of the excluded expense items independently as well as in connection with our analysis of net income.

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Reclassification

Internet advertising expense, which had been included in the general and administrative expense line in prior year financial statements, has been reclassified to property operations and maintenance expense to conform with the current year presentation. The Company believes the classification of internet advertising expenses as property operations and maintenance expense is more consistent with industry trends. As a result of this reclass, for the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company’s financial statements show an increase in property operations and maintenance expense and a reduction of general and administrative expenses of $5,570 (dollars in thousands) as compared to the amounts previously reported for that period.

The following table reconciles NOI generated by our self-storage facilities to our net income presented in the 2015 and 2014 consolidated financial statements.

General and administrative expenses increased $3.4 million or 9.8% from 2014 to 2015. The key drivers of the increase were a $1.6 million increase in salaries and performance incentives, and a $1.0 million increase in professional fees mainly stemming from an increase in legal fees related to the lawsuit in New Jersey. The remaining $0.8 million increase is the result of various other administrative costs related to managing the increased number of stores in our portfolio as compared to 2014.

Acquisition related costs were $3.0 million in 2015 as a result of the acquisition of 27 stores. Acquisition related costs for 2014 were $7.4 million as a result of the acquisition of 33 stores in 2014, and included a $1.3 million loan defeasance cost paid by the Company.

The operating lease expense for storage facilities in the 2015 and 2014 periods relates to leases which commenced in November 2013 with respect to four self storage facilities in New York (2) and Connecticut (2). Such leases had annual lease payments of $6 million with a provision for 4% annual increases, and an exclusive option to purchase the facilities for $120 million. We completed the purchase of these four facilities on February 2, 2015, which eliminated the lease payment at that time.

Depreciation and amortization expense increased to $58.5 million in 2015 from $51.8 million in 2014, primarily as a result of depreciation on the properties acquired in 2014 and 2015.

Interest expense increased from $34.6 million in 2014 to $37.1 million in 2015. The increase was due to the additional $175 million term note borrowings in April 2014 and additional line of credit borrowings in 2015 which were used to fund a portion of our acquisitions.

During 2015, we sold three non-strategic storage facilities purchased during 2014 and 2015 in Missouri and South Carolina for net proceeds of approximately $4.6 million, resulting in a loss of approximately $0.5 million. During 2014, we sold two non-strategic facilities in Texas for net proceeds of approximately $11.0 million resulting in a gain on the sale of real estate of $5.2 million. Since the 2014 and 2015 sales occurred subsequent to the Company’s adoption of ASU 2014-08, these sales were not classified as discontinued operations since they did not meet the criteria for such classification under ASU 2014-08 guidance.

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YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014 COMPARED TO YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2013

We recorded rental revenues of $302.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, an increase of $48.7 million or 19.2% when compared to 2013 rental revenues of $253.4 million. Of the increase in rental revenue, $18.1 million resulted from a 7.3% increase in rental revenues at the 384 core properties considered in same store sales (those properties included in the consolidated results of operations since January 1, 2013, excluding the properties we sold in 2013 and 2014). The increase in same store rental revenues was a result of a 195 basis point increase in average occupancy and a 4.4% increase in rental income per square foot. The remaining increase in rental revenue of $30.6 million resulted from the revenues from the acquisition of 44 properties and the lease of four properties completed in 2013 and 2014, slightly offset with the revenue decrease as a result of two self storage properties sold in 2014. Other operating income, which includes merchandise sales, insurance administrative fees, truck rentals, management fees and acquisition fees, increased by $3.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to 2013 primarily as a result of increased administrative fees earned on customer insurance and an increase in management and acquisition fees.

Property operations and maintenance expenses, including the reclassification of internet advertising from general and administrative expenses to property operations and maintenance expense, increased $9.2 million or 13.9% in 2014 compared to 2013. The 384 core properties considered in the same store pool experienced a $2.4 million or 3.8% increase in operating expenses as a result of increases in payroll, utilities, credit card fees and maintenance costs. The same store pool benefited from reduced insurance and yellow page advertising expense. In addition to the same store operating expense increase, operating expenses increased $6.8 million from the acquisition of 44 properties and the lease of four properties completed in 2013 and 2014. Real estate tax expense increased $5.6 million as a result of a 6.3% increase in property taxes on the 384 same store pool and the inclusion of taxes on the properties acquired or leased in 2014 and 2013.

Our 2014 same store results consist of only those properties that were included in our consolidated results since January 1, 2013, excluding the properties we sold in 2014 and 2013. The following table sets forth operating data for our 384 same store properties. These results provide information relating to property operating changes without the effects of acquisition.

2014 Same Store Summary

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Reclassification

Internet advertising expense, which had been included in the general and administrative expense line in prior year financial statements, has been reclassified to property operations and maintenance expense to conform with the current year presentation. The Company believes the classification of internet advertising expenses as property operations and maintenance expense is more consistent with industry trends. As a result of this reclass, for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company’s financial statements show an increase in property operations and maintenance expense and a reduction of general and administrative expenses of $5,570 for 2014 and $4,803 for 2013 (dollars in thousands) as compared to the amounts previously reported for that period.

The following table reconciles NOI generated by our self-storage facilities to our net income presented in the 2014 and 2013 consolidated financial statements after the reclassification of the internet advertising expense.

Net operating income increased $37.8 million or 20.9% as a result of a 9.1% increase in our same store net operating income and the acquisitions and property leases completed in 2013 and 2014.

General and administrative expenses increased $5.1 million or 16.9% from 2013 to 2014. The key driver of the increase was a $3.6 million increase in salaries and performance incentives. The remaining $1.5 million increase is the result of various other administrative costs related to managing the increased number of stores in 2014 as compared to 2013.

Acquisition related costs were $7.4 million in 2014 as a result of the acquisition of 33 stores. Acquisition related costs for 2013 were $3.1 million as a result of the acquisition of 11 stores in 2013.

The Operating leases of storage facilities in 2013 and 2014 relate to lease agreements entered in November 2013 with respect to four self storage facilities in New York (2) and Connecticut (2). Such leases had annual lease payments of $6 million with a provision for 4% annual increases, and an exclusive option to purchase the facilities for $120 million. We exercised the purchase option and acquired these four stores in February 2015.

Depreciation and amortization expense increased to $51.7 million in 2014 from $45.2 million in 2013, primarily as a result of depreciation on the properties acquired in 2013 and 2014.

Interest expense increased from $32.0 million in 2013 to $34.6 million in 2014. The increase was mainly due to the new $175 million 10 year term unsecured note entered in April 2014, offset by reduced rates on our bank revolving credit facility and term notes. In addition, in September 2013 we replaced a maturing fixed rate term note with a bank term loan with a lower interest rate.

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During 2014 we sold two non-strategic facilities in Texas for net proceeds of approximately $11.0 million resulting in a gain on the sale of real estate of $5.2 million. Since the two sales occurred subsequent to the Company’s adoption of ASU 2014-08, these sales were not classified as discontinued operations since they did not meet the criteria for such classification under ASU 2014-08 guidance.

In the 4^th quarter of 2013, we sold four non-strategic facilities in Ohio, Florida (2), and Virginia for net proceeds of approximately $11.7 million resulting in a gain of approximately $2.4 million. The 2013 operations of these facilities are reported in income from discontinued operations for all periods presented since the sales occurred prior to ASU 2014-08.

During 2013, we sold our equity interest and mortgage note in a formerly consolidated joint venture for $4.4 million resulting in a gain on the sale of $0.4 million.

FUNDS FROM OPERATIONS

We believe that Funds from Operations (“FFO”) provides relevant and meaningful information about our operating performance that is necessary, along with net earnings and cash flows, for an understanding of our operating results. FFO adds back historical cost depreciation, which assumes the value of real estate assets diminishes predictably in the future. In fact, real estate asset values increase or decrease with market conditions. Consequently, we believe FFO is a useful supplemental measure in evaluating our operating performance by disregarding (or adding back) historical cost depreciation.

FFO is defined by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, Inc. (“NAREIT”) as net income available to common shareholders computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), excluding gains or losses on sales of properties, plus impairment of real estate assets, plus depreciation and amortization and after adjustments to record unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures on the same basis. We believe that to further understand our performance, FFO should be compared with our reported net income and cash flows in accordance with GAAP, as presented in our consolidated financial statements.

In October and November of 2011, NAREIT issued guidance for reporting FFO that reaffirmed NAREIT’s view that impairment write-downs of depreciable real estate should be excluded from the computation of FFO. This view is based on the fact that impairment write-downs are akin to and effectively reflect the early recognition of losses on prospective sales of depreciable property or represent adjustments of previously charged depreciation. Since depreciation of real estate and gains/losses from sales are excluded from FFO, it is NAREIT’s view that it is consistent and appropriate for write-downs of depreciable real estate to also be excluded. Our calculation of FFO excludes impairment write-downs of investments in storage facilities.

Our computation of FFO may not be comparable to FFO reported by other REITs or real estate companies that do not define the term in accordance with the current NAREIT definition or that interpret the current NAREIT definition differently. FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP, and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (determined in accordance with GAAP) as an indication of our performance, as an alternative to net cash flows from operating activities (determined in accordance with GAAP) as a measure of our liquidity, or as an indicator of our ability to make cash distributions.

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Reconciliation of Net Income to Funds From Operations

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Our line of credit and term notes require us to meet certain financial covenants measured on a quarterly basis, including prescribed leverage, fixed charge coverage, minimum net worth, limitations on additional indebtedness, and limitations on dividend payouts. At December 31, 2015, the Company was in compliance with all debt covenants. The most sensitive covenant is the leverage ratio covenant contained in certain of our term note agreements. This covenant limits our total consolidated liabilities to 55% of our gross asset value. At December 31, 2015, our leverage ratio as defined in the agreements was approximately 34.4%. The agreements define total consolidated liabilities to include the liabilities of the Company plus our share of liabilities of unconsolidated joint ventures. The agreements also define a prescribed formula for determining gross asset value which incorporates the use of a 9.25% capitalization rate applied to annualized earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and other items (“Adjusted EBITDA”) as defined in the agreements. In the event that the Company violates its debt covenants in the future, the amounts due under the agreements could be callable by the lenders and could adversely affect our credit rating requiring us to pay higher interest and other debt-related costs. We believe that if operating results remain consistent with historical levels and levels of other debt and liabilities remain consistent with amounts outstanding at December 31, 2015, the entire availability under our line of credit could be drawn without violating our debt covenants.

Our ability to retain cash flow is limited because we operate as a REIT. In order to maintain our REIT status, a substantial portion of our operating cash flow must be used to pay dividends to our shareholders. We believe that our internally generated net cash provided by operating activities and the availability on our line of credit will be sufficient to fund ongoing operations, capital improvements, dividends and debt service requirements.

Cash flows from operating activities were $186.2 million, $146.1 million and $120.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively. The increase in operating cash flows from 2014 to 2015 and from 2013 to 2014 was primarily due to an increase in net income.

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Cash used in investing activities was $328.7 million, $335.0 million, and $114.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014, and 2013 respectively. The decrease in cash used from 2014 to 2015 was a result of lower investments in unconsolidated joint ventures in 2015 as compared to 2014. The increase in cash used from 2013 to 2014 was primarily due to $281.7 million spent in 2014 to purchase 33 storage facilities compared to the $94.8 million spent in 2013 on the acquisition of 11 storage facilities. In addition, in 2014 we invested $28.6 million in an unconsolidated joint venture to fund our share of the acquisition of 14 stores.

Cash provided by financing activities was $141.0 million in 2015 compared to $187.9 million in 2014. The decrease from 2014 to 2015 was a result of a $23.0 million increase in dividends paid and a reduction in debt from 2014 to 2015. Cash provided by financing activities was $187.9 million in 2014 compared to cash used in financing activities of $4.0 million in 2013. In 2015 we used the $225.7 million net proceeds from the sale of common stock and $30.0 million in net proceeds from draws on our line of credit to fund property acquisitions. In 2014 we used the $112.7 million net proceeds from the sale of common stock and $175.0 million in term note proceeds to fund property acquisitions. In 2013, we used the $119.5 million net proceeds from the sale of common stock to paydown our line of credit and to fund a portion of the property acquisitions.

On December 10, 2014, the Company amended its existing unsecured credit agreement. As part of the amended agreement, the Company increased its revolving credit limit from $175 million to $300 million. The interest rate on the revolving credit facility bears interest at a variable rate equal to LIBOR plus a margin based on the Company’s credit rating (at December 31, 2015 the margin is 1.30%), and requires a 0.20% facility fee. The amended agreement also reduced the interest rate on the $325 million unsecured term note maturing June 4, 2020, with the term note bearing interest at LIBOR plus a margin based on the Company’s credit rating (at December 31, 2015 the margin is 1.40%). The interest rate at December 31, 2015 on the Company’s line of credit was approximately 1.72% (1.46% at December 31, 2014). At December 31, 2015, there was $221 million available on the unsecured line of credit. The revolving line of credit has a maturity date of December 10, 2019. The amended agreement also provides for an increase in the revolving credit facility and the bank term notes at the Company’s request to an aggregate amount up to $850 million. In January 2016, the Company exercised the expansion feature and increased the revolving credit limit from $300 million to $500 million.

In connection with the execution of the 2014 amendment to our unsecured credit agreement, it was determined that the borrowing capacity of nine of the lenders participating in the revolving line of credit exceeded their borrowing capacities prior to the amendment. As a result, for these nine lenders the unamortized deferred financing costs associated with the agreement prior to its amendment remain deferred and are being amortized to interest expense over the term of the newly amended agreement. Fees and other costs paid to execute the amendment relating to the revolving line of credit totaling $1.3 million were recorded as additional deferred financing costs and are being amortized to interest expense over the term of the newly amended agreement.

In 2014 the Company paid $1.0 million in fees to lenders for their commitments under the unsecured term note portion of the newly amended agreement. These lenders’ commitments were determined to be a modification of their unsecured term note commitments prior to the amendment. Such costs were recorded as additional deferred financing costs and are being amortized to interest expense over the term of the newly amended agreement. In addition, for the nine continuing lenders’ the previously unamortized deferred financing costs associated with the unsecured term note commitments prior to the amendment remain deferred and are being amortized to interest expense over the term of the newly amended agreement.

On April 8, 2014, the Company entered into a $175 million term note maturing April 2024 bearing interest at a fixed rate of 4.533%. The interest rate on the term note increases to 6.283% if the Company is not rated by at least one rating agency or if the Company’s credit rating is downgraded. The proceeds from this term note were used to repay the $115 million outstanding on the Company’s line of credit at April 8, 2014, with the excess proceeds used for acquisitions.

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In 2011, the Company entered into a $100 million term note maturing August 5, 2021 bearing interest at a fixed rate of 5.54%. The interest rate on the term note increases to 7.29% if the notes are not rated by at least one rating agency, the credit rating on the notes is downgraded or if the Company’s credit rating is downgraded. The proceeds from this term note were used to fund acquisitions and investments in unconsolidated joint ventures.

The Company also maintains a $150 million unsecured term note maturing April 13, 2016 bearing interest at 6.38%. The interest rate on the $150 million unsecured term note increases to 8.13% if the notes are not rated by at least one rating agency, the credit rating on the notes is downgraded or the Company’s credit rating is downgraded. The Company is reviewing various options regarding funding this maturing note, including using availability on its line of credit or issuing a new long-term unsecured note.

The line of credit and term notes require the Company to meet certain financial covenants, measured on a quarterly basis, including prescribed leverage, fixed charge coverage, minimum net worth, limitations on additional indebtedness and limitations on dividend payouts. At December 31, 2015, the Company was in compliance with its debt covenants.

We believe that if operating results remain consistent with historical levels and levels of other debt and liabilities remain consistent with amounts outstanding at December 31, 2015 the entire availability on the line of credit could be drawn without violating our debt covenants.

The Company’s fixed rate term notes contain a provision that allows for the noteholders to call the debt upon a change of control of the Company at an amount that includes a make whole premium based on rates in effect on the date of the change of control.

Our line of credit facility and term notes have an investment grade rating from Standard and Poor’s and Fitch Ratings (BBB), as well as Moody’s (Baa2).

In addition to the unsecured financing mentioned above, our consolidated financial statements also include $2.0 million of mortgages payable at December 31, 2015, that are secured by a storage facility.

On May 12, 2014, the Company entered into a continuous equity offering program (“Equity Program”) with Wells Fargo Securities, LLC (“Wells Fargo”), Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. (“SunTrust”), Piper Jaffray & Co. (“Piper”), HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. (“HSBC”), and BB&T Capital Markets, a division of BB&T Securities, LLC (“BB&T”), pursuant to which the Company may sell from time to time up to $225 million in aggregate offering price of shares of the Company’s common stock. Actual sales under the Equity Program will depend on a variety of factors and conditions, including, but not limited to, market conditions, the trading price of the Company’s common stock, and determinations of the appropriate sources of funding for the Company. The Company expects to continue to offer, sell, and issue shares of common stock under the Equity Program from time to time based on various factors and conditions, although the Company is under no obligation to sell any shares under the Equity Program.

During 2015, the Company issued 949,911 shares of common stock under the Equity Program at a weighted average issue price of $96.80 per share, generating net proceeds of $90.6 million. During 2014, we issued 924,403 shares under the Equity Program and 359,102 shares under our previous Equity Program for net proceeds of approximately $99.2 million. During 2013, we issued 1667,819 shares under our previous Equity Program for net proceeds of approximately $107.8 million. As of December 31, 2015, the Company has $59.3 million availability for issuance of shares under the current Equity Program.

On March 3, 2015, the Company completed the public offering of 1,380,000 shares of its common stock at $90.40 per share. Net proceeds to the Company after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses were approximately $119.5 million. The Company used the net proceeds from the offering to repay a portion of the indebtedness outstanding on the Company’s unsecured line of credit.

On January 20, 2016, the Company agreed to issue and sell 2,300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $.01 per share, plus up to an additional 345,000 shares of common stock pursuant to the underwriters’ option, at a price to the public of $105.75 per share. The underwriters’ exercised their option in full. The offering of 2,645,000 shares of the Company’s common stock closed on January 25, 2016, resulting in net proceeds to the Company of approximately $269.7 million.

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We implemented a Dividend Reinvestment Plan in March 2013. We issued 151,246 and 171,854 shares under the plan in 2015 and 2014, respectively.

During 2015 and 2014, we did not acquire any shares of our common stock via the Share Repurchase Program authorized by the Board of Directors. From the inception of the Share Repurchase Program through December 31, 2015, we have reacquired a total of 1,171,886 shares pursuant to this program. From time to time, subject to market price and certain loan covenants, we may reacquire additional shares.

Future acquisitions, our expansion and enhancement program, and share repurchases are expected to be funded with draws on our line of credit, issuance of common and preferred stock, the issuance of unsecured term notes, sale of properties, and private placement solicitation of joint venture equity. Should the capital markets deteriorate, we may have to curtail acquisitions, our expansion and enhancement program, and share repurchases.

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

The following table summarizes our future contractual obligations:

Interest payments include actual interest on fixed rate debt and estimated interest for floating-rate debt based on December 31, 2015 rates. Interest rate swap payments include estimated net settlements of swap liabilities based on forecasted variable rates.

At December 31, 2015, the Company was under contract to acquire 12 self-storage facilities for cash consideration of approximately $88.6 million (net of property deposits of $5.8 million). Seven of the properties were acquired in January and February 2016 from unrelated parties for $46.4 million. The purchase of the remaining facilities by the Company is subject to customary conditions to closing, and there is no assurance that these facilities will be acquired.

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ACQUISITION OF PROPERTIES

In 2015, we acquired 27 self storage facilities comprising 2.0 million square feet in Arizona (1), Connecticut (2), Florida (6), Illinois (2), Massachusetts (1), New York (6), North Carolina (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Carolina (6) and Texas (1) for a total purchase price of $281.2 million. Based on the trailing financial information of the entities from which the properties were acquired, the weighted average capitalization rate was 5.3% on these purchases and ranged from 0% on recently constructed facilities to 6.4% on mature facilities. Four facilities acquired in Connecticut and New York in 2015 had been leased by the Company since November 1, 2013 and the operating results of these four facilities have been included in the Company’s operations since that date. In 2014, we acquired 33 self storage facilities comprising 2.4 million square feet in Florida (4), Georgia (1), Illinois (3), Louisiana (1), Maine (2), Missouri (7), New Jersey (6), New York (1), Texas (6), Tennessee (1), and Virginia (1) for a total purchase price of $291.9 million. Based on the trailing financial information of the entities from which the properties were acquired, the weighted average capitalization rate was 5.5% on these purchases and ranged from 0% on recently constructed facilities to 7.4% on mature facilities. In 2013, we acquired 11 self storage facilities comprising 0.6 million square feet in Colorado (1), Connecticut (1), Florida (1), Massachusetts (1), New Jersey (2), New York (3), and Texas (2) for a total purchase price of $94.9 million. Based on the trailing financials of the entities from which the properties were acquired, the weighted average capitalization rate was 4.8% on these purchases and ranged from 2.3% to 6.5%. In addition to the properties acquired, in November 2013 the Company entered into lease agreements with respect to four self storage facilities in New York (2) and Connecticut (2). Such leases had annual lease payments of $6 million with a provision for 4% annual increases, and an exclusive option to purchase the facilities for $120 million. We exercised our purchase option in November 2014 and completed the acquisition of these four properties in February 2015.

FUTURE ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT PLANS

Our external growth strategy is to increase the number of facilities we own by acquiring suitable facilities in markets in which we already have operations, or to expand into new markets by acquiring several facilities at once in those new markets. We are actively pursuing acquisitions in 2016 and at December 31, 2015 we had 12 properties under contract to be purchased for $94.4 million. Seven of the properties were acquired in January and February 2016.

In January and February of 2016 the Company entered contacts with unrelated parties to acquire 22 self-storage properties. Thirteen of the properties located in New Hampshire (5), California (4), Texas (3) and Massachusetts (1) were acquired on January 21, 2016. The purchase price was funded through draws on the Company’s line of credit, which draws have been subsequently repaid through proceeds of the Company’s underwritten 2016 public offering.

In 2015, we added 256,000 square feet to existing Properties and converted 5,000 square feet to premium storage for a total cost of approximately $14.1 million. In 2015 we also installed solar panels on 5 buildings for a total cost of approximately $2.1 million. Although we do not expect to construct any new facilities in 2016, we do plan to complete approximately $40 million in expansions and enhancements to existing facilities of which $5.5 million was paid prior to December 31, 2015.

In 2015, the Company spent approximately $23.6 million for recurring capitalized expenditures including roofing, paving, and office renovations. We expect to spend $19.4 million in 2016 on similar capital expenditures.

DISPOSITION OF PROPERTIES

During 2015, we sold three non-strategic storage facilities purchased during 2014 and 2015 in Missouri and South Carolina for net proceeds of approximately $4.6 million, resulting in a loss of approximately $0.5 million. During 2014, we sold two non-strategic storage facilities in Texas for net proceeds of approximately $11.0 million resulting in a gain of approximately $5.2 million. During 2013, we sold four non-strategic storage facilities in Florida, Ohio, and Virginia for net proceeds of approximately $11.7 million resulting in a gain of approximately $2.4 million.

We may seek to sell additional Properties to third parties or joint venture partners in 2016.

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OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

Our off-balance sheet arrangements consist of our investment in three self storage joint ventures in which we have an 85%, 20% and 15% ownership, as well as our investment in the entity that owns the building that houses our corporate office in which we have a 49% ownership. We account for these real estate entities under the equity method. The debt held by the unconsolidated real estate entity is secured by the real estate owned by these entities, and is non-recourse to us. See Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K.

REIT QUALIFICATION AND DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS

As a REIT, we are not required to pay federal income tax on income that we distribute to our shareholders, provided that we satisfy certain requirements, including distributing at least 90% of our REIT taxable income for a taxable year. These distributions must be made in the year to which they relate, or in the following year if declared before we file our federal income tax return, and if they are paid not later than the date of the first regular dividend of the following year.

As a REIT, we must derive at least 95% of our total gross income from income related to real property, interest and dividends. In 2015, our percentage of revenue from such sources was approximately 97%, thereby passing the 95% test, and no special measures are expected to be required to enable us to maintain our REIT designation. Although we currently intend to operate in a manner designed to qualify as a REIT, it is possible that future economic, market, legal, tax or other considerations may cause our Board of Directors to revoke our REIT election.

INTEREST RATE RISK

The primary market risk to which we believe we are exposed is interest rate risk, which may result from many factors, including government monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political considerations, and other factors that are beyond our control.

We have entered into interest rate swap agreements in order to mitigate the effects of fluctuations in interest rates on our variable rate debt. Upon renewal or replacement of the credit facility, our total interest may change dependent on the terms we negotiate with the lenders; however, the LIBOR base rates have been contractually fixed on $325 million of our floating rate bank debt through the interest rate swap termination dates. Forward starting interest rate swaps are also used by the Company to hedge the risk of changes in the interest-related cash outflows associated with the potential issuance of long-term debt. In 2015 we entered into a forward starting swap with a notional amount of $50 million to hedge the risk of changes in the interest-related cash outflows associated with the potential issuance of long-term debt in 2016. See Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K.

Through September 2018, $325 million of our $404 million of floating rate unsecured debt is on a fixed rate basis after taking into account our interest rate swap agreements. Based on our outstanding unsecured floating rate debt of $404 million at December 31, 2015, a 100 basis point increase in interest rates would have a $0.8 million effect on our interest expense. These amounts were determined by considering the impact of the hypothetical interest rates on our borrowing cost and our interest rate hedge agreements in effect on December 31, 2015. These analyses do not consider the effects of the reduced level of overall economic activity that could exist in such an environment. Further, in the event of a change of such magnitude, we would consider taking actions to further mitigate our exposure to the change. However, due to the uncertainty of the specific actions that would be taken and their possible effects, the sensitivity analysis assumes no changes in our capital structure.

INFLATION

We do not believe that inflation has had or will have a direct effect on our operations. Substantially all of the leases at the facilities are on a month-to-month basis which provides us with the opportunity to increase rental rates as each lease matures.

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SEASONALITY

Our revenues typically have been higher in the third and fourth quarters, primarily because self-storage facilities tend to experience greater occupancy during the late spring, summer and early fall months due to the greater incidence of residential moves and college student activity during these periods. However, we believe that our customer mix, diverse geographic locations, rental structure and expense structure provide adequate protection against undue fluctuations in cash flows and net revenues during off-peak seasons. Thus, we do not expect seasonality to affect materially distributions to shareholders.

The information required is incorporated by reference to the information appearing under the caption “Interest Rate Risk” in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” above.

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Shareholders of Sovran Self Storage, Inc.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Sovran Self Storage, Inc. as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2015. Our audits also included the financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a). These financial statements and schedule are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and schedule based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Sovran Self Storage, Inc. at December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2015, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also, in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly in all material respects the information set forth therein.

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, Sovran Self Storage, Inc. changed its method for reporting discontinued operations effective January 1, 2014.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), Sovran Self Storage, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) and our report dated February 25, 2016 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Buffalo, New York

February 25, 2016

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SOVRAN SELF STORAGE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

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SOVRAN SELF STORAGE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

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SOVRAN SELF STORAGE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

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SOVRAN SELF STORAGE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

See notes to consolidated financial statements

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SOVRAN SELF STORAGE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS