LTIP UNIT VESTING AGREEMENT Under the Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc.
Exhibit 4.1
Under the Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc.
2014 Equity Incentive Plan for Entities
| Name of Grantee: | BRG Manager, LLC |
| No. of LTIP Units: | 179,562 |
| Grant Date: | April 2, 2014 |
| Final Acceptance Date: | April 2, 2014 |
Pursuant to the Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan for Entities (the “Plan”) and the Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership, dated April 2, 2014 (the “Partnership Agreement”), of Bluerock Residential Holdings, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Partnership”), Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation and the general partner of the Partnership (the “Company”), and for the provision of services to or for the benefit of the Partnership in a partner capacity or in anticipation of being a partner, pursuant to that certain Management Agreement among the Company, the Partnership and the Grantee dated as of April 2, 2014 (the “Management Agreement”), hereby grants to the Grantee named above an Other Equity-Based Award (as defined in the Plan) (an “Award”) in the form of, and by causing the Partnership to issue to the Grantee named above, a number of LTIP Units (as defined in the Partnership Agreement) specified above having the rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption and conversion set forth herein and in the Partnership Agreement. Upon acceptance of this LTIP Unit Vesting Agreement (this “Agreement”), the Grantee shall receive, effective as of the Grant Date, the number of LTIP Units specified above, subject to the restrictions and conditions set forth herein and in the Partnership Agreement.
1. Acceptance of Agreement. The Grantee shall have no rights with respect to this Agreement unless it has accepted this Agreement prior to the close of business on the Final Acceptance Date specified above by (i) signing and delivering to the Partnership a copy of this Agreement and (ii) unless the Grantee is already a Limited Partner (as defined in the Partnership Agreement), signing, as a Limited Partner, and delivering to the Partnership a counterpart signature page to the Partnership Agreement (attached hereto as Annex A). Upon acceptance of this Agreement by the Grantee, the Partnership Agreement shall be amended to reflect the issuance to the Grantee of the LTIP Units so accepted, effective as of the Grant Date. Thereupon, the Grantee shall have all the rights of a Limited Partner of the Partnership with respect to the number of LTIP Units specified above, as set forth in the Partnership Agreement, subject, however, to the restrictions and conditions specified in Section 2 below.
2. Restrictions and Conditions.
(a) The records of the Partnership evidencing the LTIP Units granted herein shall bear an appropriate legend, as determined by the Partnership in its sole discretion, to the effect that such LTIP Units are subject to restrictions as set forth herein and in the Partnership Agreement.
(b) LTIP Units granted herein may not be sold, transferred, pledged, exchanged, hypothecated or otherwise disposed of by the Grantee prior to vesting.
(c) Subject to the provisions of Section 4, any LTIP Units subject to this Award that have not become vested on, before or contemporaneous with the effective date of termination of the Management Agreement shall be forfeited as of such effective termination date.
3. Vesting of LTIP Units. The restrictions and conditions in Section 2 of this Agreement shall lapse with respect to the number of LTIP Units specified below on the Vesting Dates specified below, so long as the Management Agreement remains effective from the Grant Date until such Vesting Date or Dates.
| Number of LTIP | ||
| Units Vested | Vesting Dates | |
| 59,854 | April 30, 2015 | |
| 59,854 | April 30, 2016 | |
| 59,854 | April 30, 2017 |
Subsequent to such Vesting Date or Dates, the LTIP Units on which all restrictions and conditions have lapsed shall no longer be deemed restricted.
4. Acceleration of Vesting in Special Circumstances. Notwithstanding Section 2 above, all restrictions on all LTIP Units subject to this Award shall be deemed waived by the Committee (as defined in the Plan) and all LTIP Units granted hereby shall automatically become fully vested on the date specified below:
(a) the effective termination date of the Management Agreement upon any termination of the Management Agreement resulting in the Termination Fee (as defined in the Management Agreement) becoming payable to the Grantee, or resulting in an election regarding the acquisition of the Grantee by the Company pursuant to Section 10(f)(ii) of the Management Agreement; or
(b) a Control Change Date (as defined in the Plan).
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5. Merger-Related Action. In contemplation of and subject to the consummation of a consolidation or merger or sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in which outstanding common shares are exchanged for securities, cash, or other property of an unrelated corporation or business entity or in the event of a liquidation of the Company (in each case, a “Transaction”), the Board of Directors of the Company, or the board of trustees or directors of any corporation assuming the obligations of the Company (the “Acquiror”), may, in its discretion, take any one or more of the following actions, as to the outstanding LTIP Units subject to this Award: (i) provide that such LTIP Units shall be assumed or equivalent awards shall be substituted, by the acquiring or succeeding entity (or a creditworthy affiliate thereof), and/or (ii) upon prior written notice to the LTIP Unitholders (as defined in the Partnership Agreement) of not less than 30 days, provide that such LTIP Units shall terminate immediately prior to the consummation of the Transaction. The right to take such actions (each, a “Merger-Related Action”) shall be subject to the following limitations and qualifications:
(a) if all LTIP Units awarded to the Grantee hereunder are eligible, as of the time of the Merger-Related Action, for conversion into Common Units (as defined and in accordance with the Partnership Agreement) and the Grantee is afforded the opportunity to effect such conversion and receive, (A) in consideration for the Common Units into which the Grantee’s LTIP Units shall have been converted, the same kind and amount of consideration as other holders of Common Units in connection with the Transaction, or (B) the kind and amount of consideration payable to holders of the number of common shares into which such Common Units could be exchanged (including the right to make elections as to the type of consideration), then Merger-Related Action of the kind specified in (i) or (ii) of the first paragraph of Section 5 above shall be permitted and available to the Company and the Acquiror;
(b) if some or all of the LTIP Units awarded to the Grantee hereunder are not, as of the time of the Merger-Related Action, so eligible for conversion into Common Units (in accordance with the Partnership Agreement), or if the Grantee is not afforded the opportunity to effect a conversion and receive the consideration set forth in Sections 5(a)(A) or 5(a)(B) above with respect to LTIP Units eligible for conversion, and the acquiring or succeeding entity is itself, or has a subsidiary which is organized as a partnership or limited liability company (consisting of a so-called “UPREIT” or other structure substantially similar in purpose or effect to that of the Company and the Partnership), then Merger-Related Action of the kind specified in clause (i) of this Section 5 above must be taken by the Acquiror with respect to all LTIP Units subject to this Award which are not so convertible at the time, whereby all such LTIP Units covered by this Award shall be assumed by the acquiring or succeeding entity, or equivalent awards shall be substituted by the acquiring or succeeding entity, and the acquiring or succeeding entity shall preserve with respect to the assumed LTIP Units or any securities to be substituted for such LTIP Units, as far as reasonably possible under the circumstances, the distribution, special allocation, conversion and other rights set forth in the Partnership Agreement for the benefit of the LTIP Unitholders; and
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(c) if some or all of the LTIP Units awarded to the Grantee hereunder are not, as of the time of the Merger-Related Action, so eligible for conversion into Common Units (in accordance with the Partnership Agreement), or if the Grantee is not afforded the opportunity to effect a conversion and receive the consideration set forth in Sections 5(a)(A) or 5(a)(B) above with respect to LTIP Units eligible for conversion, and after exercise of reasonable commercial efforts the Company or the Acquiror is unable to equitably treat the LTIP Units in accordance with Section 5(b), then Merger-Related Action of the kind specified in clause (ii) of this Section 5 above must be taken by the Company or the Acquiror, in which case such action shall be subject to a provision that the settlement of the terminated award of LTIP Units which are not convertible into Common Units, or for which the opportunity to convert and receive the consideration set forth in Section 5(a)(A) or 5(a)(B) was not afforded, requires a payment of the same kind and amount of consideration payable in connection with the Transaction to a holder of the number of Common Units into which the LTIP Units to be terminated could be converted or, if greater, the consideration payable to holders of the number of common shares into which such Common Units could be exchanged (including the right to make elections as to the type of consideration) if the Transaction were of a nature that permitted a revaluation of the Grantee’s capital account balance under the terms of the Partnership Agreement, as determined by the Committee in good faith in accordance with the Plan.
6. Distributions. Distributions on the LTIP Units shall be paid currently to the Grantee in accordance with the terms of the Partnership Agreement. The right to distributions set forth in this Section 6 shall be deemed a Dividend Equivalent Right for purposes of the Plan.
7. Incorporation of Plan. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, this Agreement shall be subject to and governed by all the terms and conditions of the Plan. Capitalized terms used in this Agreement shall have the meaning specified in the Plan, unless a different meaning is specified herein.
8. Covenants. The Grantee hereby covenants as follows:
(a) So long as the Grantee holds any LTIP Units, the Grantee shall disclose to the Partnership in writing such information as may be reasonably requested with respect to ownership of LTIP Units as the Partnership may deem reasonably necessary to ascertain and to establish compliance with provisions of the Code applicable to the Partnership or to comply with requirements of any other appropriate taxing authority.
(b) The Grantee hereby agrees to make an election under Section 83(b) of the Code with respect to the LTIP Units awarded hereunder, and has delivered with this Agreement a completed, executed copy of the election form attached hereto as Annex B. The Grantee agrees to file the election (or to permit the Partnership to file such election on the Grantee’s behalf) within thirty (30) days after the Grant Date with the IRS Service Center at which such Grantee files its federal income tax returns, and to file a copy of such election with the Grantee’s U.S. federal income tax return for the taxable year in which the LTIP Units are awarded to the Grantee.
(c) The Grantee hereby agrees that it does not have the current intention to dispose of the LTIP Units subject to this Award within two years of receipt of such LTIP Units; provided, that, for purposes of this Section 8(c), a disposition shall not include the pledge of the LTIP Units as collateral. The Partnership and the Grantee hereby agree to treat the Grantee as the owner of the LTIP Units from the Grant Date. The Grantee hereby agrees to take into account the distributive share of Partnership income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit associated with the LTIP Units in computing the Grantee’s income tax liability for the entire period during which the Grantee has the LTIP Units.
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(d) The Grantee hereby recognizes that the IRS has proposed regulations under Sections 83 and 704 of the Code that may affect the proper treatment of the LTIP Units for federal tax purposes. In the event that those proposed regulations are finalized, the Grantee hereby agrees to cooperate with the Partnership in amending this Agreement and the Partnership Agreement, and to take such other action as may be required, to conform to such regulations.
(e) The Grantee hereby recognizes that the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could change the federal tax consequences of owning and disposing of LTIP Units.
9. Transferability. This Agreement is personal to the Grantee, is non-assignable and is not transferable in any manner, by operation of law or otherwise, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, without the prior written consent of the Company.
10. Amendment. The Grantee acknowledges that the Plan may be amended or terminated in accordance with Article XVI thereof and that this Agreement may be amended or canceled by the Committee, on behalf of the Partnership, for the purpose of satisfying changes in law or for any other lawful purpose, provided that no such action shall adversely affect the Grantee’s rights under this Agreement without the Grantee’s written consent. The provisions of Section 5 of this Agreement applicable to the termination of the LTIP Units covered by this Award in connection with a Transaction (as defined in Section 5 of this Agreement) shall apply, mutatis mutandi to amendments, discontinuance or cancellation pursuant to this Section 10 or the Plan.
11. Notices. Notices hereunder shall be mailed or delivered to the Partnership at its principal place of business and shall be mailed or delivered to the Grantee at the address on file with the Partnership or, in either case, at such other address as one party may subsequently furnish to the other party in writing.
12. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, applied without regard to conflict of law principles. The parties agree that any action or proceeding arising directly, indirectly or otherwise in connection with, out of , related to or from this Agreement, any breach hereof or any action covered hereby, shall be resolved within the State of Delaware and the parties hereto consent and submit to the jurisdiction of the federal and state courts located within the District of Delaware. The parties hereto further agree that any such action or proceeding brought by either party to enforce any right, assert any claim, obtain any relief whatsoever in connection with this Agreement shall be brought by such party exclusively in federal or state courts located within the District of Delaware.
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The foregoing LTIP Unit Vesting Agreement is hereby agreed to by the Company, the Partnership and the Grantee on the date shown below.
| Date: April 2, 2014 | Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc. | ||
| a Maryland corporation | |||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇ | ||
| Name: | ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇ | ||
| Title: | Treasurer and Chief Accounting Officer | ||
| Bluerock Residential Holdings, L.P. | |||
| a Delaware limited partnership | |||
| By: | Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc., | ||
| General Partner | |||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇ | ||
| Name: | ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇ | ||
| Title: | Treasurer and Chief Accounting Officer | ||
| Grantee: | |||
| BRG Manager, LLC | |||
| a Delaware limited liability company | |||
| By: Bluerock Real Estate, L.L.C. | |||
| Its: Manager | |||
| By: | /s/ Jordan ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇ | ||
| Name: | Jordan ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇ | ||
| Title: | Authorized Signatory | ||
| Grantee’s address: | |||
| c/o Bluerock Real Estate, L.L.C. | |||
| ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ | |||
| ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ | |||
| Attn: R. ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇ | |||
ANNEX A
FORM OF LIMITED PARTNER SIGNATURE PAGE
The Grantee desiring to become one of the within named Limited Partners of Bluerock Residential Holdings, L.P. (the “Partnership”), hereby becomes a party to the Agreement of Limited Partnership (the “Partnership Agreement”) of the Partnership by and among Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc., as general partner (the “General Partner”), and the Limited Partners, effective as of the Grant Date (as defined in the LTIP Unit Vesting Agreement, dated April 2, 2014, among the Grantee, the Partnership, and the General Partner). The Grantee agrees to be bound by the Partnership Agreement. The Grantee also agrees that this signature page may be attached to, and hereby authorizes the General Partner to attach this signature page to, any counterpart of the Partnership Agreement.
| Date: | BRG Manager, LLC | |||
| a Delaware limited liability company | ||||
| By: | ||||
| Name: | ||||
| Title: | ||||
| Limited Partner’s name and address: | |
| c/o Bluerock Real Estate, L.L.C. | |
| ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| Attn: R. ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇ |
ANNEX B
ELECTION TO INCLUDE IN GROSS INCOME IN YEAR OF
TRANSFER OF PROPERTY PURSUANT TO SECTION 83(b)
OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE
The undersigned hereby makes an election pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the property described below and supplies the following information in accordance with the regulations promulgated thereunder:
| 1. | The name, address and taxpayer identification number of the undersigned are: |
Name: BRG Manager, LLC (the “Taxpayer”)
Address: c/o Bluerock Real Estate, L.L.C.
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Attn: R. ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇
Taxpayer Identification Number: ▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
| 2. | Description of property with respect to which the election is being made: |
The election is being made with respect to 179,562 LTIP Units in Bluerock Residential Holdings, L.P. (the “Partnership”).
3. The date on which the LTIP Units were transferred is April 2, 2014. The taxable year to which this election relates is calendar year 2014.
| 4. | Nature of restrictions to which the LTIP Units are subject: |
| (a) | The LTIP Units are subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture and are nontransferable on the date of transfer. |
| (b) | The Taxpayer’s LTIP Units vest and become transferable based on the Taxpayer’s continued service pursuant to the Management Agreement dated April 2, 2014, by and among the Taxpayer, the Partnership and Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc. (the “Management Agreement”). |
| 5. | The fair market value at the time of transfer (determined without regard to any restrictions other than restrictions which by their terms will never lapse) of the LTIP Units with respect to which this election is being made was $0.00 per LTIP Unit. |
| 6. | The amount paid by the Taxpayer for the LTIP Units was $0.00 per LTIP Unit. |
| 7. | A copy of this statement has been furnished to the Partnership and to its general partner, Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc. |
| Date: | BRG Manager, LLC | |||
| a Delaware limited liability company | ||||
| By: | ||||
| Name: | ||||
| Title: | ||||
Schedule to Section 83(b) Election-Vesting Provisions of LTIP Units
The LTIP Units are subject to time-based vesting with 33.34% vesting on April 30, 2015, 33.33% vesting on April 30, 2016 and 33.33% vesting on April 30, 2017, subject to acceleration in the event of certain extraordinary transactions or termination of the Management Agreement in certain circumstances. Unvested LTIP Units are subject to forfeiture in the event of the termination of the Management Agreement in certain circumstances.