NexPoint Residential (NXRT) Risk Analysis

In addition to compliance with environmental regulations, we must comply with various laws and regulations such as accessibility, building, zoning, landlord/tenant and health and safety laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the ADA and the FHA. Some of those laws and regulations may conflict with one another or be subject to limited judicial or regulatory interpretations. Under those laws and regulations, we may be liable for, among other things, the costs of bringing our properties into compliance with the statutory and regulatory requirements. Noncompliance with certain of these laws and regulations may result in liability without regard to fault and the imposition of fines and could give rise to actions brought against us by governmental entities and/or third parties who claim to be or have been damaged as a consequence of an apartment not being in compliance with the subject laws and regulations. As part of our due diligence procedures in connection with the acquisition of a property, we typically conduct an investigation of the property's compliance with known laws and regulatory requirements with which we must comply once we acquire a property, including a review of compliance with the ADA and local zoning regulations. Our investigations and these assessments may not have revealed, and may not with respect to future acquisitions reveal, all potential noncompliance issues or related liabilities and we can provide no assurance that our properties have been, or that our future projects will be, designed and built in accordance with all applicable legal requirements. The development, construction and operation of our communities are subject to regulations and permitting under various federal, state and local laws, regulations and ordinances, which regulate matters including wetlands protection, storm water runoff and wastewater discharge. Noncompliance with such laws and regulations may subject us to fines and penalties. We can provide no assurance that we will not incur any material liabilities as a result of noncompliance with these laws.

On February 8, 2023, UBS Securities LLC and its affiliate (collectively, "UBS") filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York against Mr. Dondero and a number of other persons and entities seeking to collect on $1.3 billion in judgments UBS obtained against entities that were managed indirectly by Highland (the "UBS Lawsuit"). On February 26, 2024, the respondents, including Mr. Dondero, filed motions to dismiss the UBS Lawsuit. A hearing was held on July 8, 2024. The court dismissed the claims against one respondent, CLO HoldCo, Ltd., for lack of personal jurisdiction in a July 12, 2024 order. On August 24, 2024, UBS filed a notice of appeal for that dismissal order, which has not yet been briefed. The remaining respondents' motions to dismiss, including Mr. Dondero's, remain pending. The UBS Lawsuit does not include claims related to our business or our assets. While neither our Sponsor nor our Adviser are parties to the UBS Lawsuit, these proceedings could expose our Sponsor, our Adviser, our affiliates, our management and/or us to negative publicity, which might adversely affect our reputation and/or investor confidence in us, and/or future debt or equity capital raising activities. In addition, the UBS Lawsuit may be both time consuming and disruptive to our operations and cause significant diversion of management attention and resources which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Code. Our qualification as a REIT depends upon our ability to meet requirements, some on an annual and quarterly basis, regarding our organization and ownership, distributions of our income, the nature and diversification of our income and assets and other tests imposed by the Code. Meeting some of these requirements may involve the determination of various factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control. The REIT qualification requirements are extremely complex and interpretation of the U.S. federal income tax laws governing qualification as a REIT is limited. Furthermore, future legislative, judicial or administrative changes to the U.S. federal income tax laws could be applied retroactively, which could result in our disqualification as a REIT. We believe we have been and are organized and qualify as a REIT, and we intend to operate in a manner that will permit us to continue to qualify as a REIT. However, we cannot assure you that we have qualified as a REIT, or that we will remain qualified as a REIT in the future. If we were to fail to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year, we would be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our taxable income at corporate rates, could be subject to increased state and local taxes and dividends paid to our stockholders would not be deductible by us in computing our taxable income. Any resulting corporate tax liability could be substantial and would reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders, which in turn could have an adverse impact on the value of shares of our common stock. Unless we were entitled to relief under certain Code provisions, we also would be disqualified from taxation as a REIT and would not be allowed to re-elect REIT status for the four taxable years following the year in which we failed to qualify as a REIT. The additional tax liability from the failure to qualify as a REIT would reduce or eliminate the amount of cash available for investment or distribution to our stockholders. This would materially and adversely affect us. In addition, we would no longer be required to make distributions to our stockholders. Furthermore, we may acquire additional direct or indirect interests in one or more entities that will elect to be taxed as REITs under the Code (each, a "Subsidiary REIT"). A Subsidiary REIT is subject to the various REIT qualification requirements and other limitations described herein that are applicable to us. If a Subsidiary REIT were to fail to qualify as a REIT, then (i) that Subsidiary REIT would become subject to U.S. federal income tax and (ii) the Subsidiary REIT's failure to qualify could have an adverse effect on our ability to comply with the REIT income and asset tests, and thus could impair our ability to qualify as a REIT unless we could avail ourselves of certain relief provisions.

We are subject to various federal, state and local environmental and public health laws, regulations and ordinances. Under various federal, state and local environmental and public health laws, regulations and ordinances, we may be required, regardless of knowledge or responsibility, to investigate and remediate the effects of hazardous or toxic substances or petroleum product releases at our properties (including in some cases natural substances such as methane and radon gas) and may be held liable under these laws or common law to a governmental entity or to third parties for property, personal injury or natural resources damages and for investigation and remediation costs incurred as a result of the contamination. These damages and costs may be substantial and may exceed any insurance coverage we have for such events. The presence of such substances, or the failure to properly remediate the contamination, may adversely affect our ability to borrow against, sell or rent the affected property. In addition, some environmental laws create or allow a government agency to impose a lien on the contaminated site in favor of the government for damages and costs it incurs as a result of the contamination. Certain federal, state and local laws, regulations and ordinances govern the removal, encapsulation or disturbance of asbestos containing materials ("ACMs") when such materials are in poor condition or in the event of renovation or demolition of a building. These laws and the common law may impose liability for release of ACMs into the environment and may allow third parties to seek recovery from owners or operators of real properties for personal injury associated with exposure to ACMs. ACMs may have been used in the construction of a number of the communities that we acquired and may have been used in the construction of communities we acquire in the future. We will implement an operations and maintenance program at each of the communities at which we discover ACMs. We can provide no assurance that we will not incur any material liabilities as a result of the presence of ACMs at our communities. Some of our communities may have lead-based paint and we may have to implement an operations and maintenance program at some of our communities. Communities that we acquire in the future may also have lead-based paint. We can provide no assurance that we will not incur any material liabilities as a result of the presence of lead-based paint at our communities. We are also aware that environmental agencies and third parties have, in the case of certain communities with on-site or nearby contamination, asserted claims for remediation, property damage or personal injury based on the alleged actual or potential intrusion into buildings of chemical vapors (e.g., radon) or volatile organic compounds from soils or groundwater underlying or in the vicinity of those buildings or on nearby properties. We can provide no assurance that we will not incur any material liabilities as a result of vapor intrusion at our communities. Mold growth may occur when excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or is not addressed over a period of time. Although the occurrence of mold at multifamily and other structures, and the need to remediate such mold, is not a new phenomenon, there has been increased awareness in recent years that certain molds may in some instances lead to adverse health effects, including allergic or other reactions. To help limit mold growth, we educate residents about the importance of adequate ventilation and include a lease requirement that they notify us when they see mold or excessive moisture. We have established procedures for promptly addressing and remediating mold or excessive moisture when we become aware of its presence regardless of whether the resident believes or we believe a health risk is present. However, we can provide no assurance that mold or excessive moisture will be detected and remediated in a timely manner. If a significant mold problem arises at one of our communities, we could be required to undertake a costly remediation program to contain or remove the mold from the affected community and could be exposed to other liabilities that may exceed any applicable insurance coverage.

We are an externally managed REIT and therefore we do not have any internal management capacity and only have accounting employees. We also depend on BH for our property management and construction services. We depend to a significant degree on the diligence, skill and network of business contacts of the management team and other key personnel of our Adviser and of our property manager to achieve our investment objectives, including Messrs. Dondero, Richards, McGraner and Sauter, all of whom may be difficult to replace. We expect that our Adviser will evaluate, negotiate, structure, close and monitor our investments in accordance with the terms of the Advisory Agreement. We also depend upon the senior professionals of our Adviser and our property manager to maintain relationships with sources of potential investments, and we rely upon these relationships to provide us with potential investment opportunities. We cannot assure you that these individuals will continue to provide indirect investment advice to us. If these individuals, including the members of the management team of our Adviser, do not maintain their existing relationships with our Adviser, maintain existing relationships or develop new relationships with other sources of investment opportunities, we may not be able to grow our investment portfolio. In addition, individuals with whom the senior professionals of our Adviser and our property manager have relationships are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities. Therefore, we can offer no assurance that such relationships will generate investment opportunities for us.

Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, we pay significant fees to our Adviser and its affiliates. Those fees include advisory and administrative fees and obligations to reimburse our Adviser and its affiliates for expenses they incur in connection with providing services to us, including certain personnel services. Additionally, pursuant to the Management Agreements we have entered into with BH, we pay significant fees to BH. These fees include property management fees, construction management and other customary property manager fees.

Our multifamily properties compete with other housing alternatives to attract residents, including other rental apartments, condominiums and single-family homes that are available for rent, as well as new and existing condominiums and single-family homes for sale. All of our multifamily properties are located in developed areas that include other multifamily properties and/or condominiums. The number of competitive multifamily properties and/or condominiums in a particular area, and any increased affordability of owner occupied single and multifamily homes caused by declining housing prices, low mortgage interest rates and government programs to promote home ownership, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to lease our apartments and the rents we are able to obtain. In addition, single-family homes and other residential properties provide housing alternatives to residents and potential residents of our multifamily properties.

Macroeconomic trends, including increases in or high inflation and high interest rates, may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. Inflation could have an adverse impact on general and administrative expenses, as these costs could increase at a rate higher than our rental revenue, interest income or other revenue. Inflationary pressures have increased our direct and indirect operating and investment costs. Inflationary pressures have also increased or may have the effect of increasing our costs related to property management, third-party contractors and vendors, insurance, transportation and taxes, and our residents may also be adversely impacted by higher cost of living expenses, including food, energy and transportation, which may increase our rate of resident defaults and harm our operating results. To the extent our exposure to increases in or high interest rates on any of our debt is not eliminated through interest rate swaps and interest rate protection agreements that we may utilize for hedging purposes, increases in prevailing interest rates will result in higher debt service costs which will adversely affect our cash flows. We cannot assure you that our access to capital and other sources of funding will not become constrained, which could adversely affect the availability and terms of future borrowings, renewals or refinancings. Such future constraints could increase our borrowing costs, which would make it more difficult or expensive to obtain additional financing or refinance existing obligations and commitments, which could slow or deter future growth. In addition, actions by the Federal Reserve, as well as efforts by other central banks globally to combat inflation and restore price stability and other global events, may raise the prospect or severity of a recession. The war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war adds, and other international tensions or escalations of conflict may add, instability to the uncertainty driving socioeconomic forces, which may continue to have an impact on global trade and result in inflation or economic instability. Present conditions and the state of the U.S and global economies make it difficult to predict whether and/or when and to what extent a recession will occur in the near future. Should a recession occur it could negatively impact the value of commercial and residential real estate and the value of our investments, potentially materially. While the Company has taken steps to prepare for a potential downturn in the economy, should a recession occur there can be no guaranty that the Company's efforts will prevent any negative impacts to the value of the Company's investments.

Our apartment communities could directly or indirectly be the location or target of actual or threatened terrorist attacks, crimes, shootings or other acts of violence, the occurrence of which could impact the value of our communities through damage, destruction, loss or increased security costs, as well as result in operational losses due to reduced rental demand, and the availability of insurance may be limited or may be subject to substantial costs. If such an incident were to occur at one of our apartment communities, we may also become subject to significant liability claims, some of which may exceed our insurance coverage for general liability. In addition, the adverse effects that actual or threatened terrorist attacks could have on national economic conditions, as well as economic conditions in the markets in which we operate, could similarly have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our business is highly dependent on information technology. In the ordinary course of our business, we may store sensitive data, including our proprietary business information and that of our business partners, on our networks. The secure maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations. Cybersecurity incidents and cyber-attacks, ransomware attacks and social engineering attempts (including business email compromise attacks) have been occurring globally at a more frequent and severe level and will likely continue to increase in frequency in the future. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions, the risk of which may be heightened by the increased prevalence and use of artificial intelligence. Any such breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information, including accidental or unauthorized disclosure of information, could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, regulatory penalties, disrupt our operations, disrupt our trading activities, or damage our reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial results and negatively affect the market price of our securities and our ability to pay dividends to stockholders. In addition, although our Adviser maintains insurance coverage that may cover certain aspects of our cyber and information security risks, such insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover all losses, such as litigation costs or financial losses that exceed policy limits or are not covered under any of our Adviser's current insurance policies. The resources required to protect our information technology and infrastructure, and to comply with the laws and regulations related to data and privacy protection, are subject to uncertainty. Even in circumstances where we are able to successfully protect such technology and infrastructure from attacks, we may incur significant expenses in connection with our responses to such attacks. In addition, recent well-publicized security breaches have led to enhanced government and regulatory scrutiny of the measures taken by companies to protect against cyber-security attacks, and may in the future result in heightened cyber-security requirements and/or additional regulatory oversight. As cybersecurity threats and government and regulatory oversight of associated risks continue to evolve, we may be required to expend additional resources to enhance or expand upon the security measures we currently maintain. Any such actions may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition. Furthermore, if some of our or our Adviser's employees are required to work remotely in the future due to pandemics or infectious diseases, or if we or our Adviser allow permanent or significant remote work by any of our or its employees, there may be an increased risk of disruption to our operations because they may be utilizing residential networks and infrastructure which may not be as secure as in our office environment.