EQUITY LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES INC0000895417false00008954172021-01-222021-01-25

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 22, 2021

EQUITY LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Maryland

1-11718

36-3857664

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)

(Commission File No.)

(IRS Employer Identification Number)

Two North Riverside Plaza

Chicago,

Illinois

60606

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(Zip Code)

(312) 279-1400

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

    Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

☐			Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐			Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐			Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐			Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class			Trading Symbol(s)			Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.01 Par Value			ELS			New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company  ☐

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

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Item 2.02    Results of Operations and Financial Condition

On January 25, 2021, Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (referred to herein as “we,” “us,” and “our”) issued a news release announcing our results of operations for the three months and year ended December 31, 2020 and our 2021 earnings guidance assumptions.

The news release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this report on Form 8-K. The news release was also posted on our website, www.equitylifestyleproperties.com, on January 25, 2021.

Item 8.01     Other Events

On January 25, 2021, our Board of Directors approved setting the annual dividend rate for 2021 at $1.45 per share of common stock, an increase of $0.08 over the current $1.37 per share of common stock for 2020. Our Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, will determine the amount of each quarterly dividend in advance of payment.

On January 22, 2021, we issued a news release announcing the tax treatment of our 2020 common stock distributions. The news release was posted on our website, www.equitylifestyleproperties.com, on January 22, 2021.

In accordance with General Instruction B.2. of Form 8-K, the information included in Items 2.02 and 9.01 of this Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.1, shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section, nor shall such information be deemed incorporated by reference in any registration statement filed by Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

    This report includes certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used, words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “believe,” “project,” “intend,” “may be” and “will be” and similar words or phrases, or the negative thereof, unless the context requires otherwise, are intended to identify forward-looking statements and may include, without limitation, information regarding our expectations, goals or intentions regarding the future, and the expected effect of our acquisitions. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to:

•our ability to control costs and real estate market conditions, our ability to retain customers, the actual use of sites by customers and our success in acquiring new customers at our properties (including those that we may acquire);

•our ability to maintain historical or increase future rental rates and occupancy with respect to properties currently owned or that we may acquire;

•our ability to attract and retain customers entering, renewing and upgrading membership subscriptions;

•our assumptions about rental and home sales markets;

•our assumptions and guidance concerning 2021 growth rates and Net Income and Normalized FFO per share data;

•our ability to manage counterparty risk;

•our ability to renew our insurance policies at existing rates and on consistent terms;

•in the age-qualified properties, home sales results could be impacted by the ability of potential home buyers to sell their existing residences as well as by financial, credit and capital markets volatility;

•results from home sales and occupancy will continue to be impacted by local economic conditions, lack of affordable manufactured home financing and competition from alternative housing options including site-built single-family housing;

•impact of government intervention to stabilize site-built single-family housing and not manufactured housing;

•effective integration of recent acquisitions and our estimates regarding the future performance of recent acquisitions;

•the completion of future transactions in their entirety, if any, and timing and effective integration with respect thereto;

•unanticipated costs or unforeseen liabilities associated with recent acquisitions;

•our ability to obtain financing or refinance existing debt on favorable terms or at all;

•the effect of interest rates;

•the effect from any breach of our, or any of our vendors', data management systems;

•the dilutive effects of issuing additional securities;

•the outcome of pending or future lawsuits or actions brought against us, including those disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and

•other risks indicated from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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    Our guidance acknowledges the existence of volatile economic conditions, which may impact our current guidance assumptions. Factors impacting 2021 guidance include, but are not limited to the following: (i) the mix of site usage within the portfolio; (ii) yield management on our short-term resort and marina sites; (iii) scheduled or implemented rate increases on community, resort and marina sites; (iv) scheduled or implemented rate increases in annual payments under membership subscriptions; (v) occupancy changes; (vi) our ability to attract and retain membership customers; (vii) our ability to integrate and operate recent acquisitions in accordance with our estimates; (viii) completion of pending transactions in their entirety and on assumed schedule; (ix) ongoing legal matters and related fees; and (x) costs to restore property operations and potential revenue losses following storms or other unplanned events. In addition, these forward-looking statements, including our 2021 guidance are subject to risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of which are unknown, including the duration of the pandemic, the extent of the adverse health impact on the general population and on our residents, customers, and employees in particular, its impact on the employment rate and the economy, the extent and impact of governmental responses, and the impact of operational changes we have implemented and may implement in response to the pandemic.

    For further information on these and other factors that could impact us and the statements contained herein, refer to our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the “Risk Factors” section in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

    These forward-looking statements are based on management's present expectations and beliefs about future events. As with any projection or forecast, these statements are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. We are under no obligation to, and expressly disclaim any obligation to, update or alter our forward-looking statements whether as a result of such changes, new information, subsequent events or otherwise.

    We are a fully integrated owner and operator of lifestyle-oriented properties and own or have an interest in 423 quality properties in 33 states and British Columbia consisting of 161,229 sites. We are a self-administered, self-managed, real estate investment trust with headquarters in Chicago.

Item 9.01    Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d) Exhibits

The information contained in the attached exhibit is unaudited and should be read in conjunction with the Registrant's annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

99.1 Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. press release dated January 25, 2021, “ELS Reports Fourth Quarter Results”

104 Cover Page Interactive Data File included as Exhibit 101 (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

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SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

						EQUITY LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES, INC.
						By: /s/ Paul Seavey
						Paul Seavey
						Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Date: January 26, 2021

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