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INVESTMENT IN JOINT VENTURES
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2026
Investment In Joint Ventures  
INVESTMENT IN JOINT VENTURES

NOTE 4 – INVESTMENT IN JOINT VENTURES

 

In December 2021, the Company and Nuveen Real Estate (“Nuveen” or “Nuveen Real Estate”), established a joint venture for the purpose of acquiring manufactured housing and/or recreational vehicle communities that are under development and/or newly developed and meet certain other investment guidelines. The terms of the initial joint venture entity were set forth in a Limited Liability Company Agreement dated as of December 8, 2021 (the “2021 LLC Agreement”) entered into between a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and an affiliate of Nuveen. The 2021 LLC Agreement provided for the parties to initially fund up to $70 million of equity capital for acquisitions during a 24-month commitment period, with Nuveen having the option, subject to certain conditions, to elect to increase the parties’ total commitments by up to an additional $100 million and to extend the commitment period for up to an additional four years. The 2021 LLC Agreement called for committed capital to be funded 60% by Nuveen and 40% by the Company on a parity basis. The Company serves as managing member of the joint venture entity and is responsible for day-to-day operations of the joint venture entity and management of its properties, subject to obtaining approval of Nuveen Real Estate for major decisions (including investments, dispositions, financings, major capital expenditures and annual budgets). The Company receives property management, asset management and other fees from the joint venture entity. In addition, once each member has recouped its invested capital and received a 7.5% net unlevered internal rate of return, 80% of distributable cash will be allocated pro rata in accordance with the members’ respective percentage interests and the Company and Nuveen will receive a promote percentage equal to 70% (in the case of the Company) and 30% (in the case of Nuveen) of the remaining 20% of distributable cash. After seven years, the Company may elect to consummate the crystallization of the promote.

 

Under the terms of the 2021 LLC Agreement, after December 8, 2024 or, if later, the second anniversary of the acquisition and placing in service of a manufactured housing or recreational vehicle community, Nuveen will have a right to initiate the sale of one or more of the communities owned by the joint venture entity. If Nuveen elects to initiate such a sale process, the Company may exercise a right of first refusal to acquire Nuveen’s interest in the community or communities to be sold for a purchase price corresponding to the greater of the appraised value of such communities or the amount required to provide a 7.5% net unlevered internal rate of return on Nuveen’s investment. In addition, the Company will have the right to buy out Nuveen’s interest in the joint venture entity at any time after December 8, 2031 at a purchase price corresponding to the greater of the appraised value of the portfolio or the amount required to provide a 7.5% net unlevered internal rate of return on Nuveen’s investment.

 

The 2021 LLC Agreement between the Company and Nuveen provided that until the capital contributions to the joint venture are fully funded or the joint venture is terminated, the joint venture will be the exclusive vehicle for the Company to acquire any manufactured housing communities and/or recreational vehicle communities that meet the joint venture’s investment guidelines. These guidelines called for the joint venture to acquire manufactured housing and recreational vehicle communities that have been developed within the previous two years and are less than 20% occupied, are located in certain geographic markets, are projected to meet certain cash flow and internal rate of return targets and satisfy certain other criteria. The Company agreed to offer Nuveen the opportunity to have the joint venture acquire any manufactured housing community or recreational vehicle community that meets these investment guidelines. Under the terms of the 2021 LLC Agreement, if Nuveen determines not to pursue or approve any such acquisition, the Company would be permitted to acquire the property outside the joint venture. Since the execution of the 2021 LLC Agreement, Nuveen has provided the Company with written waivers of the exclusivity provision of the 2021 LLC Agreement with regard to two property acquisitions that may have fit the investment guidelines of the joint venture, which permitted the Company to acquire them outside of the Nuveen joint venture. Except for investment opportunities that are offered to and declined by Nuveen, the Company is prohibited from developing, owning, operating or managing manufactured housing communities or recreational vehicle communities within a 10-mile radius of any community owned by the joint venture. However, this restriction does not apply with respect to investments by the Company in existing communities operated by the Company.

 

The 2021 LLC Agreement provides that Nuveen will have the right to remove and replace the Company as managing member of the joint venture and manager of the joint venture’s properties if the Company breaches certain obligations or certain events occur. Upon such removal, Nuveen may elect to buy out the Company’s interest in the joint venture at 98% of the value of the Company’s interest in the joint venture. If Nuveen does not exercise such buy-out right, the Company may, at specified times, elect to initiate a sale of the communities owned by the joint venture, subject to a right of first refusal on the part of Nuveen. The 2021 LLC Agreement contains restrictions on a party’s right to transfer its interest in the joint venture without the approval of the other party.

 

 

The 2021 LLC Agreement requires the Company to offer Nuveen the opportunity to have the joint venture acquire a manufactured housing community or recreational vehicle community that meets the investment guidelines. If Nuveen decides not to acquire the community through the joint venture, however, the Company is free to purchase the community on its own outside of the joint venture.

 

In December 2021, the joint venture entity formed under the 2021 LLC Agreement closed on the acquisition of Sebring Square, a newly developed all-age, manufactured home community located in Sebring, Florida, for a total purchase price of $22.2 million. This community contains 219 developed home sites situated on approximately 39 acres. In December 2022, this joint venture entity closed on the acquisition of Rum Runner, another newly developed all-age, manufactured home community also located in Sebring, Florida for a total purchase price of $15.1 million. This community contains 144 developed home sites situated on approximately 20 acres. The Company manages these communities on behalf of the joint venture entity.

 

During the time since the joint venture with Nuveen was first established in 2021, the Company and Nuveen have continued to seek opportunities to acquire additional manufactured housing and/or recreational vehicle communities that are under development and/or newly developed and meet certain other investment guidelines. During 2022, the Company and Nuveen informally agreed that any future acquisitions would be made by one or more new joint venture entities to be formed for that purpose and that the original joint venture entity formed in December 2021 will not consummate additional acquisitions but will maintain its existing property portfolio, consisting of the Sebring Square and Rum Runner communities. The Company and Nuveen also informally agreed that, unless otherwise determined in connection with any specific future investment, capital for any such new joint venture entity would continue to be funded 60% by Nuveen and 40% by the Company on a parity basis and that other terms would be similar to those of the 2021 LLC Agreement, except that the amounts of the parties’ respective capital commitments will be determined on a property-by-property basis.

 

On June 26, 2026, UMH and Nuveen entered into an amendment (the “First Amendment”) to the 2021 LLC Agreement. Under the terms of the First Amendment, if Nuveen chooses not to contribute additional capital to fund additional home acquisitions, UMH can continue to fund the 2021 joint venture, thus increasing UMH’s ownership percentage and decreasing Nuveen’s ownership percentage. However, UMH’s unilateral contributions to the 2021 joint venture cannot exceed an amount that would dilute Nuveen’s ownership below 40%. In addition, any time after December 31, 2027 (or earlier if UMH violates certain requirements of the 2021 LLC Agreement or experiences a “Change in Control”), Nuveen will have the right to require UMH to purchase Nuveen’s interest in the 2021 joint venture for cash in an amount equal to Nuveen’s total capital contributions to the 2021 joint venture. During the quarter ended September 30, 2026, UMH made unilateral contributions of $2.9 million to the 2021 joint venture, resulting in Nuveen’s ownership percentage reducing to 58% and UMH’s ownership percentage increasing to 42%. As of September 30, 2026, total contributions made by Nuveen and UMH to the 2021 joint venture were $41.7 million and $30.7 million, respectively.

 

In November 2023, the Company expanded its relationship with Nuveen Real Estate and formed a second joint venture entity with Nuveen. The new joint venture entity was established to, directly or through one or more subsidiaries, identify, source, originate, acquire, hold, operate, sell, lease, mortgage, maintain, own, manage, finance, refinance, reposition, improve, renovate, develop, redevelop, pledge, hedge, exchange, and otherwise deal in and with the rental of manufactured housing and/or recreational vehicle communities that meet other investment guidelines. The terms of the new joint venture entity are set forth in a Limited Liability Company Agreement dated as of November 29, 2023 (the “2023 LLC Agreement”) entered into between a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and an affiliate of Nuveen. The Company serves as managing member of this new joint venture entity and is responsible for day-to-day operations of the joint venture entity and management of its properties, subject to obtaining approval of Nuveen Real Estate for major decisions (including investments, dispositions, financings, major capital expenditures and annual budgets). The Company receives property management oversight, development and other fees from the joint venture entity. Sixty-one acres of land located in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania, previously owned by the Company, with a carrying value cost basis of $3.8 million, was contributed to the new joint venture entity. The Company was reimbursed by Nuveen for 60% of the carrying value of this land. This new joint venture entity is focused on the development and operation of a new manufactured housing community on this property. The community contains 113 manufactured home sites situated on approximately 61 acres. This community, named Honey Ridge, opened for occupancy in June 2025 and currently has 44 homes on-site of which 27 have been sold. Nuveen’s and UMH’s ownership percentages remain at 60% and 40%, respectively in the 2023 joint venture and as of September 30, 2026, total contributions made by Nuveen and UMH to the 2023 joint venture were $12.0 million and $8.0 million, respectively.

 

References in this report to the Company’s joint venture relationships with Nuveen are intended to refer to its ongoing relationships with Nuveen.

 

The Company accounts for its joint ventures with Nuveen Real Estate under the equity method of accounting in accordance with ASC 323, “Investments – Equity Method and Joint Ventures”.