Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the factors discussed in “Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Other than as set forth below, there have been no material changes to the risk factors described in the “Risk Factors” section in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. The risks described below and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only risks facing our company. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to the Mergers

The exchange ratio is fixed and will not be adjusted in the event of any change in our stock price or the stock price of Life Storage.

Upon the closing of the company merger, each outstanding share of Life Storage common stock (other than shares of Life Storage common stock owned by any of the Life Storage parties or any wholly owned subsidiary of Life Storage and each share of Life Storage common stock owned by us or any of our wholly owned subsidiaries) will be converted into the right to receive 0.895 of a share of our common stock, with cash paid in lieu of any fractional shares, without interest. The exchange ratio of 0.895 was fixed in the merger agreement and, except for certain adjustments on account of changes in the capitalization of the parties, will not be adjusted for changes in the market prices of shares of our common stock or of Life Storage common stock. Stock price changes may result from a variety of factors (many of which are beyond our control), including the following factors:

• market reaction to the announcement of the mergers and our prospects following the mergers;

• changes in the respective businesses, operations, assets, liabilities and prospects of us and Life Storage;

• changes in market assessments of the business, operations, financial position and prospects of us and Life Storage;

• market assessments of the likelihood that the mergers will close;

• interest rates (including changes or anticipated changes in interest rates), general market and economic conditions and other factors generally affecting the market prices of our common stock and Life Storage common stock;

• federal, state and local legislation, governmental regulation and legal developments in the businesses in which we or Life Storage operate; and

• other factors beyond the control of either us or Life Storage, including those described or referred to elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section.

The market price of shares of our common stock at the closing of the mergers may vary from its price on the date the merger agreement was executed, on the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, on the date of our special meeting and on the date of the Life Storage special meeting. As a result, the market value of the merger consideration represented by the exchange ratio will also vary.

If the market price of shares of our common stock increases between the date the merger agreement was signed, the date of our special meeting or the date of the Life Storage special meeting and the date of the closing of the mergers, Life Storage

stockholders could receive shares of our common stock that have a market value upon completion of the mergers that is greater than the market value of such shares calculated pursuant to the exchange ratio on the date the merger agreement was signed, the date of our special meeting or the date of the Life Storage special meeting, respectively. Conversely, if the market price of shares of our common stock declines between the date the merger agreement was signed, the date of our special meeting or the date of the Life Storage special meeting and the closing of the mergers, Life Storage stockholders could receive shares of our common stock that have a market value upon the closing of the mergers that is less than the market value of such shares calculated pursuant to the exchange ratio on the date the merger agreement was signed, the date of our special meeting or the date of the Life Storage special meeting, respectively. Furthermore, at the time of our special meeting and the Life Storage special meeting, our stockholders and Life Storage stockholders will not know with certainty the value of the our common stock that Life Storage stockholders will receive upon completion of the mergers.

Therefore, while the number of shares of our common stock to be issued per share of Life Storage common stock is fixed, our stockholders and Life Storage shareholders cannot be sure of the market value of the merger consideration Life Storage stockholders will receive upon the closing of the mergers.

Holders of our common stock will have a reduced ownership and voting interest after the mergers and will exercise less influence over our management.

The mergers will result in our stockholders having an ownership stake that is smaller than their current stake in our company as of immediately prior to the mergers. Upon completion of the mergers, based on the number of shares of our common stock outstanding on March 31, 2023, we estimate that our existing stockholders will own approximately 65% of the issued and outstanding common stock of the combined company. Consequently, our stockholders will have less influence over our management and policies after the company merger effective time than they currently exercise over our management and policies.

Completion of the mergers is subject to many conditions, and if these conditions are not satisfied or waived, the mergers will not be completed, which could result in a requirement that we pay termination fees.

The consummation of the mergers is subject to certain conditions, including (i) the approval of the company merger by the affirmative vote of the holders of two-thirds of the outstanding shares of Life Storage common stock entitled to vote on such matter, (ii) the approval of our common stock issuance by affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by the holders of our common stock, (iii) the shares of our common stock to be issued in the company merger having been approved for listing on the NYSE, (iv) the Form S-4 having been declared effective, (v) the absence of any temporary restraining order, injunction or other order, decree or judgment being issued by any governmental authority and no law being enacted, which would have the effect of making illegal or otherwise prohibiting the consummation of the mergers, (vi) the receipt of certain legal opinions by us and Life Storage and (vii) other customary conditions specified in the merger agreement.

There can be no assurance that the conditions to the closing of the mergers will be satisfied or waived or that the mergers will be completed. Failure to consummate the mergers may adversely affect our results of operations and business prospects for the following reasons, among others: (i) we have incurred and will incur certain transaction costs, regardless of whether the proposed mergers close, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders; and (ii) the proposed mergers, whether or not they close, will divert the attention of certain of our management and other key employees from ongoing business activities, including the pursuit of other opportunities that could be beneficial to us. In addition, we or Life Storage may terminate the merger agreement under certain circumstances, including, among other reasons, if the mergers are not completed by December 31, 2023.

If the merger agreement is terminated under certain circumstances specified in the merger agreement, we may be required to pay Life Storage a termination fee of $761 million and/or reimburse Life Storage’s transaction expenses up to an amount equal to $20 million. If the mergers are not consummated, the price of our common stock might decline.

Failure to complete the mergers could negatively impact the stock prices and our future business and financial results.

If the mergers are not completed, our ongoing business could be materially adversely affected and without realizing any of the benefits of having completed the mergers, we will be subject to a variety of risks associated with the failure to complete the mergers, including the following:

• the market price of our common stock could decline;

• our being required, under certain circumstances, to pay to Life Storage a termination fee of $761 million depending on the circumstances;

• if the merger agreement is terminated and our board seeks another business combination, our stockholders cannot be certain that we will be able to find a party willing to enter into a transaction on terms equivalent to or more attractive than the terms of the merger agreement;

• we may experience negative reactions from the financial markets or our customers, vendors or employees;

• our having to pay certain costs relating to the mergers, such as legal, accounting, financial advisor, filing, printing and mailing fees whether or not the mergers are completed; and

• diversion of our management’s focus and resources from operational matters and other strategic opportunities while working to implement the mergers.

If the mergers are not completed, these risks could materially affect our business, financial results and share price. In addition, if the mergers are not completed, we could be subject to litigation related to any failure to complete the mergers or related to any enforcement proceeding commenced against us to perform our obligations under the merger agreement. The materialization of any of these risks could adversely impact our ongoing business.

The pendency of the mergers could adversely affect our business and operations.

Prior to the effective time of the mergers, some of our customers, prospective customers or vendors may delay or defer decisions, which could negatively affect our revenues, earnings, cash flows and expenses, regardless of whether the mergers are completed. In addition, third-party owners of stores which Life Storage manages, or which we manage, may cancel their management agreements, which could negatively affect our revenues, earnings, cash flows and expenses, regardless of whether the mergers are completed as well as negatively affect the financial position of the combined company. Further, due to operating restrictions in the merger agreement, we may be unable, during the pendency of the mergers, to pursue strategic transactions, undertake significant capital projects, undertake certain significant financing transactions and otherwise pursue other actions, even if such actions would prove beneficial.

An adverse outcome in any litigation or other legal proceedings relating to the merger agreement, or the transactions contemplated thereby, could have a material adverse impact on our or our ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement.

Transactions like the mergers are frequently the subject of litigation, shareholder demands, or other legal proceedings, including actions alleging that either party’s board of directors breached their respective duties to their stockholders or other equity holders by entering into the merger agreement, by failing to obtain a greater value in the transaction for their stockholders or other equity holders or otherwise, or any other claims (contractual or otherwise) arising out of the mergers or the transactions related thereto. With respect to these proceedings, and any other litigation or other legal proceedings that are brought against us or our board of directors or subsidiaries in connection with the merger agreement, or the transactions contemplated thereby, we intend to defend against any such claims made therein but may not be successful in doing so. An adverse outcome in such matters, as well as the costs and efforts of a defense even if successful, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to consummate the mergers in a timely manner, or at all, or our business, results of operation or financial position, including through the possible diversion of our resources or distraction of key personnel.

We expect to incur substantial expenses related to the mergers.

Following the mergers, we expect to incur substantial expenses in connection with completing the mergers and integrating the operations and systems of Life Storage with ours. While we have assumed that a certain level of expenses would be incurred, there are a number of factors beyond its control that could affect the total amount or the timing of our expenses relating to the completion of the mergers and our operations. Many of the expenses that will be incurred, by their nature, are difficult to estimate accurately at the present time. As a result, the expenses associated with the mergers could, particularly in the near term, reduce the savings that we expect to achieve from the elimination of duplicative expenses and the realization of economies of scale and cost savings related to the integration of the operations of Life Storage following the completion of the mergers.

Following the mergers, we may be unable to integrate the operations of Life Storage successfully with ours and realize the anticipated synergies and other benefits of the mergers or do so within the anticipated time frame.

The mergers involve the combination of two companies that currently operate as independent public companies and their respective operating partnerships. We are expected to benefit from the elimination of duplicative costs associated with supporting a public company platform and the leveraging of state-of-the-art technology and systems. However, we will be

required to devote significant management attention and resources to integrating the operations of Life Storage with our own. Potential difficulties we may encounter in the integration process include the following:

• the inability to successfully combine the operations of Life Storage, including the integration of employees, customer records and maintaining cybersecurity protections, in a manner that permits us to achieve the cost savings anticipated to result from the mergers, which would result in the anticipated benefits of the mergers not being realized in the time frame currently anticipated or at all;

• the inability to dispose of former Life Storage assets or operations that we may desire to dispose of;

• the complexities associated with managing the combined businesses out of different locations and integrating personnel from the two companies;

• the failure to retain our key employees or the key employees of Life Storage;

• potential unknown liabilities and unforeseen increased expenses, delays or regulatory conditions associated with the mergers; and

• performance shortfalls as a result of the diversion of management’s attention caused by completing the mergers and integrating the companies’ operations.

For all these reasons, you should be aware that it is possible that the integration process could result in the distraction of our management, the disruption of our ongoing business or inconsistencies in our operations, services, standards, controls, procedures and policies, any of which could adversely affect our ability to maintain relationships with customers, vendors and employees or to achieve the anticipated benefits of the mergers, or could otherwise adversely affect our business and financial results.

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

None.

ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

None.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not Applicable.