Item 1. Business

General

Equity Residential (“EQR”) is committed to creating communities where people thrive. The Company, a member of the S&P 500, is focused on the acquisition, development and management of residential properties located in and around dynamic cities that attract affluent long-term renters. ERP Operating Limited Partnership (“ERPOP”) is focused on conducting the multifamily property business of EQR. EQR is a Maryland real estate investment trust (“REIT”) formed in March 1993 and ERPOP is an Illinois limited partnership formed in May 1993. References to the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” mean collectively EQR, ERPOP and those entities/subsidiaries owned or controlled by EQR and/or ERPOP. References to the “Operating Partnership” mean collectively ERPOP and those entities/subsidiaries owned or controlled by ERPOP.

EQR is the general partner of, and as of December 31, 2023 owned an approximate 97.0% ownership interest in, ERPOP. All of the Company’s property ownership, development and related business operations are conducted through the Operating Partnership and EQR has no material assets or liabilities other than its investment in ERPOP. EQR issues equity from time to time, the net proceeds of which it is obligated to contribute to ERPOP, but does not have any indebtedness as all debt is incurred by the Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership holds substantially all of the assets of the Company, including the Company’s ownership interests in its joint ventures. The Operating Partnership conducts the operations of the business and is structured as a partnership with no publicly traded equity.

The Company’s corporate headquarters is located in Chicago, Illinois and the Company also operates regional property management offices in most of its markets.

On May 18, 2023, the Company announced that Samuel Zell, its Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, had passed away earlier that same day. David J. Neithercut, the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Company’s Board of Trustees since 2006, has been appointed as Chairman.

Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements or the Definitions section of Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. See also Note 17 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion regarding the Company’s segment disclosures.

Available Information

You may access our Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K, our proxy statements and any amendments to any of those reports/statements we file with or furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) free of charge on our website, www.equityapartments.com. These reports/statements are made available on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we file them with or furnish them to the SEC. The information contained on our website, including any information referred to in this report as being available on our website, is not a part of or incorporated into this report.

Business Objectives and Operating and Investing Strategies

Overview

The Company is one of the largest U.S. publicly-traded owners and operators of high quality rental apartment properties, with an established presence in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Southern California (including Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego), San Francisco and Seattle, and an expanding presence in Denver, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Austin. Through our ownership in these markets, we seek to optimize our portfolio by balancing risk and maximizing returns. We believe that this portfolio will allow us to produce more consistent cash flows in a volatile world where local market conditions may cause operating fundamentals to change rapidly. We believe our markets are knowledge centers of the U.S. economy that draw employers and their talented affluent workers that drive economic growth in the United States. We believe the locations of our properties in these markets are attractive to these affluent knowledge workers (who often choose to rent for lifestyle reasons) that we hope to convert into satisfied long-term residents.

We believe we have created an industry-leading operating platform and balance sheet to run our properties. Our employees are focused on delivering remarkable customer service to our residents so they will stay with us longer, be willing to pay higher rent for a great experience and will tell others about how much they love living in an Equity Residential property. We utilize technology and other innovative methods of engagement with our residents to foster relationships and community, improve the resident experience and operate our business more efficiently. We pair that with disciplined balance sheet management that enhances returns and value creation

while maintaining flexibility to take advantage of future opportunities. We believe that our stakeholders value stability, liquidity, predictability and accountability and that is the mission to which we remain unwaveringly committed.

Despite overall economic concerns, demand to live in our apartment communities remains healthy and we believe that the long-term prospects for our business remain strong. Our business benefits from elevated single family home ownership costs, positive household formation trends and the overall deficit in housing across the country, especially in the areas in which we are investing. Our well-located communities provide an exceptional experience for our residents around dynamic cities that we believe will continue to attract affluent long-term renters.

Equity Residential is committed to creating communities where people thrive. We carry this, our corporate purpose, through our relationships with our customers, our employees, our shareholders and the communities in which we operate. It drives our commitments to sustainability, diversity and inclusion, the total wellbeing of our employees and being a responsible corporate citizen in the communities in which we operate.

Investment Strategy

The Company’s long-term strategy is to invest in apartment properties located in strategically targeted markets with the goal of maximizing our risk-adjusted total returns by balancing current cash flow generation with long-term capital appreciation. We seek to meet this goal by investing in markets that are characterized by conditions favorable to multifamily property operations over the long-term. Our multi-pronged investment strategy featuring acquisitions, new stand-alone and expansion developments, densifying developments and accretive renovations of existing properties is focused on optimizing and balancing our portfolio in terms of location, including between our established and expansion markets and between urban and suburban submarkets within those markets. The markets we focus on generally feature one or more of the following characteristics that allow us to drive performance:

Large and diverse economic drivers. Our markets are some of the largest cities in the United States. They are markets that generally attract a variety of large and diverse industries and businesses. They include a number of submarkets that are attractive for long-term multifamily ownership and are positioned to capture future demand.

High costs of single family home ownership. Elevated single family home ownership costs (large down payments, high interest rates, etc.), low for sale inventory and existing homeowners that are reluctant to sell given favorable locked-in financing all support renting in the long-term, especially in the markets in which we operate.

Strong high quality job growth. Our markets attract and create high quality jobs that are often focused in growing areas of the knowledge-based economy. These jobs result in the significant presence and growth in affluent renters that work in the highest earning sectors of the economy, are not rent burdened and are attracted to our type of properties. This creates the ability to raise rents more readily in good economic times and reduces risk during downturns. Many of these affluent workers are employed in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM jobs, as well as financial services, medical, legal and other higher-earning professions.

Significant apartment demand that meets new apartment supply. We remain focused on owning and operating properties in markets and submarkets where the supply of apartments is met with strong demand. While at times supply and demand imbalances may occur, over the long-term we believe that the dynamics in our markets will support superior long-term returns.

We also focus on resiliency/environmental and regulatory issues when choosing which markets/submarkets in which to concentrate our investment efforts. We conduct climate resilience analyses and assess the regulatory climate to identify potential risks and opportunities as part of our due diligence process for new acquisitions and developments, as well as potential markets for portfolio expansion. Resiliency and regulatory issues also factor into our decisions to dispose of certain properties and/or exit certain submarkets.

We believe our strategy capitalizes on the preference of renters of all ages to live in the locations where we operate which typically are near transportation (both public transit and convenient highway access), entertainment, employment centers/universities and cultural and outdoor amenities. Furthermore, we believe that demand for rental housing will continue to be driven primarily through household formations from the younger segments of our population, particularly Generation Z, while retaining Millennials for longer, and to a lesser extent, capturing the aging Baby Boomer generation.

Generation Z is approximately 70 million people born between 1997 and 2012. This cohort is entering prime renter age and is expected to continue to be an important source of demand.

Millennials are individuals born between 1981 and 1996, totaling approximately 72 million people, and continue to be a significant portion of the renter population. They also tend to remain renters longer due to the high cost of single family home ownership, societal trends favoring delays in marriage and having children and caution around making large financial commitments during uncertain economic times.

Baby Boomers, a demographic of more than 68 million people born between 1946 and 1964, also may trend toward apartment rentals as they downsize and enter retirement in vibrant cities.

The Company continues to allocate capital in order to optimize performance by balancing current cash flow growth with long-term capital appreciation. We have done so by adding expansion markets to our portfolio when certain submarkets in those markets meet many of the same characteristics listed above. Expansion into these markets of Denver, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Austin includes investments in both urban and suburban properties in select submarkets and is generally being funded by reducing exposure to older or lower returning assets in selected established markets. Development also plays an important role in our capital allocation. Development activity is focused on our in-house pipeline and redevelopment of some existing operating properties and our strategic partnerships and joint-ventures with third-party developers in both established and expansion markets. The Company remains committed to development as a driver of external growth but acknowledges its incremental risk, particularly in higher inflationary cost environments, when evaluating it as a method of expansion.

Competition

All of the Company’s properties are located in developed areas with multiple housing choices, including other multifamily properties. The number of competitive housing choices or multifamily properties in a particular area could have a material effect on the Company’s ability to lease apartment units at its properties and on the rents charged. The Company may be competing with other housing providers that have greater resources than the Company and whose managers have more experience than the Company’s managers. In addition, other forms of rental properties and single family housing provide housing alternatives to potential residents of multifamily properties. See Item 1A, Risk Factors, for additional information with respect to competition.

Operations and Innovation

We attempt to balance occupancy and rental rates to maximize our revenue while exercising tight cost control to generate the highest possible cash flow generation to our shareholders. Our focus on operating efficiency and delivery of an exceptional resident living experience has driven strong Physical Occupancy and a high Percentage of Residents Renewing while achieving strong renewal rate growth.

We deliver this performance through rapidly evolving technology and innovation that is increasingly prevalent in our industry. We have been and continue to be a leader in deploying and investing in property technology to serve our customers better and operate more efficiently. Having a history as a first mover in such important areas as online leasing, we are focused on technology that drives superior margins and improves customer experience. We use a standardized purchasing system to control our operating expenses and a business intelligence platform and other data analytics that allow our team members to quickly identify and address issues and opportunities. Many of these initiatives allow us to interact with our customers in a safe, responsible and convenient manner, including self-guided tours, automated responses to customer inquiries and enhanced service and maintenance management. While we believe areas such as “smart home” technology and others will provide the foundation for current and future improvements to how we do business, we will continue to consider the cost and longevity of technology capital investments and their benefits.

Our Commitment to Corporate Responsibility

At Equity Residential, we believe focusing on corporate responsibility is a key way to programmatically address stakeholder concerns as part of our corporate purpose as we recognize the profound impact that the real estate industry can have on our environment and society as a whole. We strive to create and maintain a sustainable portfolio that not only has a low environmental footprint, but also one that is attractive to our customers and the community and resilient to the changing climate. We apply best practices for sustainability across all aspects of our real estate business. We have a dedicated in-house team that initiates and applies sustainable practices in all aspects of our business, including investment activities, development, property operations and property management activities. Multifamily housing is one of the most environmentally-friendly uses of real estate, as each property provides homes for hundreds of families in a denser shared environment. We consider building locations based on walkability, accessibility, neighborhoods and communities. Our properties support amenities such as fitness centers and we select locations near shops, restaurants, outdoor amenities such as bike/running paths and health clubs, enabling a low carbon footprint lifestyle for our residents to live, work and play.

Equity Residential’s sustainability program actively manages environmental impacts and climate-related risks and opportunities through optimized, financially responsible capital investments and technologies. We methodically focus on energy, water, waste and emissions to advance the program’s policies, targets and resilience outcomes as well as our shareholders' long-term financial interests. Together, we believe our program drives long-term asset value, responsibly manages risks and engages our communities, residents, employees and shareholders as part of our broader sustainability strategy and commitment to good corporate citizenship and maximizing investment performance. Our expertise has shown that as real estate owners, developers and managers, we have the ability to make a positive impact on the environment while also enhancing our financial performance and strengthening our organization’s sense of purpose.

To further strengthen our commitments to sustainability initiatives, we set ambitious targets to reduce our environmental impact across the portfolio aligned with global climate change initiatives. For example, we recently set a science-based target to reduce our absolute Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions (from our two biggest categories) by 30% by 2030 from a 2018 base year. We continue to enhance our environmental disclosure efforts by calculating and disclosing our Scope 3 emissions.

We also issued two sustainable fixed-income instruments (each a “green bond”) designed to support projects that contribute to environmental sustainability, becoming the first multifamily REIT to ever issue a green bond. The Company also has a $10.0 million investment in a fund focused on early stage sustainability and climate change mitigation technology relevant to the built environment.

As detailed below, we have a commitment to our employees’ engagement, diversity and inclusion and wellness that serves as the foundation of our corporate purpose. We celebrate differences and are committed to cultivating an inclusive environment of belonging for all employees, driving excellence through shared perspectives and collaborative innovation. We also recognize that a successful company must incorporate the best corporate governance practices in order to better serve its stakeholders. Consistent with the Company's purpose and commitment to the incorporation of corporate responsibility concepts in all aspects of its business, executive compensation includes a goal which focuses on environmental, social and governance factors.

For additional information regarding our corporate responsibility efforts, see our 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance Report at our website, www.equityapartments.com, which includes third-party limited assurance covering some of the environmental metrics included in the report. The report, which includes Sustainability Accounting Standards Board disclosures and incorporates recommendations from the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, was reviewed and approved by the Corporate Governance Committee of our Board of Trustees, which monitors the Company’s ongoing corporate responsibility efforts. The Environmental, Social and Governance Report is not part of or incorporated into this report. Furthermore, our annual proxy statements contain additional information on our corporate responsibility efforts, including detailed information regarding our corporate governance practices. Such annual proxy statements and the information contained therein are not part of nor incorporated into this report, except as otherwise provided herein.

Human Capital

At Equity Residential, our team of approximately 2,400 employees is the driving force of our success. We believe that our richly diverse work environment captures top talent, cultivates the best ideas and creates the widest possible platform for this success in line with our corporate purpose of “Creating communities where people thrive”. Our core principles, affectionately named “Ten Ways to Be a Winner,” guide our behavior as individuals and collectively as a team, helping us in our goal to deliver market-leading performance. As part of our Ten Ways to Be a Winner, we encourage our team members to raise questions, take educated risks, offer new ideas and help us make the right decisions. One way we live the “Ten Ways” is by enriching our culture through our core “Equity Values," which include Diversity & Inclusion, Social Responsibility, Sustainability and Total Wellbeing. We have assembled the Equity Values Council, a diverse employee group reflective of the broader Company, to lead our efforts on these values by acting as change agents to drive initiatives, create goals and awareness, and encourage colleagues to participate in community service activities and wellness initiatives.

Diversity and Inclusion

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion starts with a highly skilled and diverse Board of Trustees.

We are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and productive workplace for all employees. We believe providing a work environment based on respect, trust and collaboration creates an exceptional employee experience where employees can bring their whole selves to work and thrive in their careers. In recent years, we have created dedicated Diversity and Inclusion staffing to oversee this crucial work.

To further prioritize the importance of our diversity and inclusion efforts, our executives’ annual compensation goals include an evaluation of objective metrics measuring our Company’s progress in this regard.

We have the benefit of a diverse workforce, of which over 60% currently identify as ethnically diverse.

A diversity and inclusion lens is embedded in our talent review processes. This includes the development of our Overcoming Bias in Performance Review Toolkit, which is designed to provide practical bias interrupters and guidelines to improve fairness in the performance evaluation process.

We strategically identify opportunities to increase the diversity of our talent pipeline at all levels, including by actively seeking to source a pool of diverse candidates for mid-management and above positions in the communities where we serve, such as from Project Destined, Fannie Mae’s Future Housing Leaders, Howard University, Roosevelt University and Evanston Scholars.

We employ interns from universities across the nation and local colleges to provide pathways for students of various backgrounds interested in real estate.

Pay Equity

In order to develop, attract and retain the best employees, we are committed to providing a total compensation package which is market-based, performance driven, fair and internally equitable.

Our goal is to be competitive both within the general employment market as well as with our competitors in the real estate industry, with our strongest performers being paid more.

Base pay is reviewed annually, as is Equity Residential’s compensation framework, by partnering with managers to create and update job descriptions that reflect the duties, skills, experience and education required to perform the role, and then benchmarking the Company’s pay practices and budget as well as our jobs against third-party compensation surveys to determine the market value of the job.

During the year-end performance evaluation process, managers review and calibrate compensation for all employees on their team, in an effort to ensure equity around our pay practices and allow us to reward and motivate our top talent.

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement and experience are extremely important at Equity Residential. Our Employee Experience (EX) Survey measures employee engagement and diversity and inclusion, among other components of the employee experience.

Our 2023 engagement score of 78% favorability is very strong, especially given changes in employee expectations in the wake of the pandemic. Our Diversity & Inclusion Index score of 84% demonstrated significant employee favorability for the initiatives taking place and a greater sense of belonging.

Executive leaders are assessed annually on their leadership results for diversity and inclusion, engagement and manager completion of Ethics and Positive Workplace training, which for 2023 were measured by an employee experience survey and course completion rates.

Training and Development

We believe a successful workplace is one where employees constantly learn and grow. Our HR Transformation Learning & Development (“L&D”) team works regularly with leaders and employees to expand their knowledge and skills. L&D develops and delivers a wide range of training and development opportunities, from tactical to strategic, face-to-face to virtual, social learning to self-directed learning, and more.

Health, Safety and Wellness

Equity Residential is committed to providing the tools and resources to help our employees achieve total wellbeing. Having a thriving employee base is the pinnacle of our total wellbeing efforts. When employees bring their whole self to work, perform their best and are well supported, they can make powerful contributions to the business, culture and our communities. Whether physical, mental, financial, career, social or community wellbeing, Equity Residential offers benefits to help meet our employee needs.

Physical Wellbeing: Equity Residential is focused on providing benefits that help our employees achieve balance and address good health proactively, with coverage for ongoing needs and emergencies that can arise as well. Long before healthcare reform, Equity Residential made a commitment to cover 100% of employee preventive care. This commitment—and our robust and highly popular wellness program—has made proactive personal healthcare more accessible and manageable for employees, while encouraging ongoing healthy behaviors and rewarding employees for taking a proactive approach to their health.

Mental Wellbeing: We strive to make mental healthcare accessible. Our communications are designed to highlight awareness-building and our resources are centered around culturally competent care that scales toward employees’

needs. This includes educational resources for maintaining mental health, online mobile apps to address or discuss ways to improve, and partnerships with virtual care providers and support networks for those who need immediate and critical support. All employees and their family members have access to five free counseling sessions (per year per presenting matter) through our Employee Assistance Program. Understanding the importance of a mentally healthy workforce, we also added an industry-leading meditation app, free to all employees and their family members, designed to promote mental health. Our dedication to mental wellness is reflected in providing tools like this, fostering a culture that values self-care and effective mental health practices.

Financial Wellbeing: These benefits and resources help our employees manage their money better today, while preparing for financial milestones and retirement in the future. Financial peace of mind is at the core of these offerings, whether it’s our generous 401(k) match, basic and supplemental insurance to ensure our loved ones and possessions are cared for, rent discounts at our properties or additional savings and investment options like our employee share purchase plan.

Career Wellbeing: When employees move up in skill and experience, so does Equity Residential. We encourage our employees to Test their Limits (one of the Ten Ways), push the boundaries of their comfort zones and seek new challenges through several learning resources and courses, in addition to tuition reimbursement. We actively promote from within, and many senior corporate and property leaders have risen from entry level or junior positions.

Social and Community Wellbeing: We offer a number of benefits that foster social and community wellbeing, including paid time off to volunteer in our communities.

Equity Residential continues to partner with Employees1st to provide financial relief via a crisis fund for employees struck by personal hardships or unforeseen disasters. The Company contributes funds to further support employees who experience unforeseen or catastrophic hardship. We are proud that this program allows yet another avenue for us to tangibly demonstrate a one team culture by ensuring that employees feel safe and supported during extreme circumstances.

Regulatory Considerations

See Item 1A, Risk Factors, for information concerning the potential effects of governmental regulations, including environmental regulations, on our operations.