BREIT 2017 Annual Report

25 • a decline in household formation; • persons enrolled in college delaying leaving college or choosing to proceed to or return to graduate school in the absence of available employment; • rent control or rent stabilization laws, or other laws regulating housing, that could prevent us from raising rents sufficiently to offset increases in operating costs; • the inability or unwillingness of residents to pay rent increases; and • increased collection losses. These factors generally have contributed to lower rental rates. To the extent that we invest in any multifamily residential properties, our results of operations, financial condition and ability to make distributions to you may be adversely affected if these factors do not improve or worsen. If any credit market disruptions or economic slowdowns occur, any investments in multifamily residential properties may face increased competition from single-family homes and condominiums for rent, which could limit our ability to retain residents, lease apartment units or increase or maintain rents. Any multifamily communities in which we invest may compete with numerous housing alternatives in attracting residents, including single-family homes and condominiums available for rent. Such competitive housing alternatives may become more prevalent in a particular area in the event of any tightening of mortgage lending underwriting criteria, homeowner foreclosures, declines in single- family home and condominium sales or lack of available credit. The number of single-family homes and condominiums for rent in a particular area could limit our ability to retain residents, lease apartment units or increase or maintain rents. The multifamily residential properties in which we invest must comply with the Fair Housing Amendment of 1988. The multifamily residential properties in which we invest domestically, if any, must comply with the Fair Housing Amendment Act of 1988 (“FHAA”) which requires that multifamily communities first occupied after March 13, 1991 be accessible to handicapped residents and visitors. Compliance with the FHAA could require removal of structural barriers to handicapped access in a community, including the interiors of apartment units covered under the FHAA. Recently there has been heightened scrutiny of multifamily housing communities for compliance with the requirements of the FHAA and the ADA and an increasing number of substantial enforcement actions and private lawsuits have been brought against multifamily communities to ensure compliance with these requirements. Noncompliance with the FHAA and the ADA could result in the imposition of fines, awards of damages to private litigants, payment of attorneys’ fees and other costs to plaintiffs, substantial litigation costs and substantial costs of remediation. The hospitality or leisure industry is seasonal. The hospitality or leisure industry is seasonal in nature. Seasonal slowdown is generally in the third quarter and, to a lesser extent, in the fourth quarter of each year. As a result of the seasonality of the hospitality or leisure industry, there will likely be quarterly fluctuations in results of operations of any hospitality or leisure properties that we may own. In addition, any such properties that we may own may be adversely affected by factors outside our control, such as extreme weather conditions or natural disasters, terrorist attacks or alerts, outbreaks of contagious diseases, airline strikes, economic factors and other considerations affecting travel. The hospitality or leisure market is highly competitive and generally subject to greater volatility than our other market segments. The hospitality or leisure business is highly competitive and influenced by factors such as general and local economic conditions, location, room rates, quality, service levels, reputation and reservation systems, among many other factors. There are many competitors in this market, and these competitors may have substantially greater marketing and financial resources than those available to us. Competition also comes from non-traditional hospitality sources, such as home-sharing platforms. This competition, along with other factors, such as over-building in the hospitality or leisure industry and certain deterrents to traveling, may increase the number of rooms available and may decrease the average occupancy and room rates of our hospitality or leisure properties. The demand for rooms at any hospitality or leisure properties that we may acquire will change much more rapidly than the demand for space at other properties that we acquire. This volatility in room demand and occupancy rates could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and ability to pay distributions to stockholders.