Ventas, Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated or except where the context otherwise requires, “we,” “us” or “our”), an S&P 500 company, is a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) withoperating at the intersection of healthcare and real estate. We hold a highly diversified portfolio of senior housing, life science, research and innovation and healthcare properties located throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. As of September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, we owned or managed through unconsolidated joint ventureshad investments in approximately 1,200 properties (including properties classified as held for sale), consisting of senior housing communities, medical office buildings (“MOBs”), life science, research and innovation centers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities (“IRFs”) and long-term acute care facilities (“LTACs”), and health systems. We also had 19 properties under development, including 1 property that is owned by an unconsolidatedsystems, which we generally refer to as “healthcare real estate entity.estate.” Our company was originally founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.Illinois with an additional corporate office in Louisville, Kentucky.

We primarily invest in a diversified portfolio of healthcare real estate assets through wholly owned subsidiaries and other co-investment entities. We operate through three reportable business segments: triple-net leased properties, senior living operations, which we also refer to as SHOP, and office operations. See “Note 2 – Accounting Policies” and “Note 15 – Segment Information.” Our senior housing research and innovation, and healthcare properties through acquisitions and leaseare either subject to triple-net leases, in which case they are included in our triple-net leased properties to unaffiliated tenantsreportable business segment, or operate them throughoperated by independent third-party managers.managers, in which case they are included in our senior living operations reportable business segment.

As of September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, we leased a total of 377358 properties (excluding properties within our office operations reportable business segment) to various healthcare operating companies under “triple-net”triple-net or “absolute-net”absolute-net leases that obligate the tenants to pay all property-related expenses, including maintenance, utilities, repairs, taxes, insurance and capital expenditures. Our 3 largest tenants, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Brookdale Senior Living”), Ardent Health Partners, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Ardent”) and Kindred Healthcare, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Kindred”) leased from us 121 properties, (excluding 7 properties managed by Brookdale Senior Living pursuant to long-term management agreements), 1112 properties and 32 properties, respectively, as of September 30, 2020.March 31, 2021.

As of September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, pursuant to long-term management agreements, we engaged independent operators,managers, such as Atria Senior Living, Inc. (“Atria”) and Sunrise Senior Living, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Sunrise”), to manage 439448 senior housing communities in our senior living operations segment for us.

Through our Lillibridge Healthcare Services, Inc. subsidiary and our ownership interest in PMB Real Estate Services LLC, we also provide MOB management, leasing, marketing, facility development and advisory services to highly rated hospitals and health systems throughout the United States. In addition, from time to time, we make secured and non-mortgage loans and other investments relating to senior housing and healthcare operators or properties.

During fiscal 2020 and continuing into fiscal 2021, our business has been, and is expected to continue to be, negatively impacted by the COVID-19 Update

We have not identified the COVID-19 pandemic, on its own, as a “triggering event” for purposes of evaluating impairment of real estate assets, goodwill and other intangibles, investments in unconsolidated entities and financial instruments. However, as of September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, we considered the effect of the pandemic on certain of our assets (described below) and our ability to recover the respective carrying values of these assets. We applied our considerations to existing critical accounting policies that require us to make estimates and assumptions regarding future events that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities. We based our estimates on our experience and on assumptions we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. As a result, we have recognized the following charges for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020:

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information set forth in the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”), as published by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), and with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair statement of results for the interim period have been included. Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2020.2021. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on February 24, 2020.2020 (the “2020 Annual Report”). Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include our accounts and the accounts of our wholly owned subsidiaries and the joint venture entities over which we exercise control. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation, and our net earnings are reduced by the portion of net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests.

GAAP requires us to identify entities for which control is achieved through means other than voting rights and to determine which business enterprise is the primary beneficiary of variable interest entities (“VIEs”). A VIE is broadly defined as an entity with one or more of the following characteristics: (a) the total equity investment at risk is insufficient to finance the entity’s activities without additional subordinated financial support; (b) as a group, the holders of the equity investment at risk lack (i) the ability to make decisions about the entity’s activities through voting or similar rights, (ii) the obligation to absorb the expected losses of the entity, or (iii) the right to receive the expected residual returns of the entity; and (c) the equity investors have voting rights that are not proportional to their economic interests, and substantially all of the entity’s activities either involve, or are conducted on behalf of, an investor that has disproportionately few voting rights. We consolidate our investment in a VIE when we determine that we are its primary beneficiary. We may change our original assessment of a VIE upon subsequent events such as the modification of contractual arrangements that affects the characteristics or adequacy of the entity’s equity investments at risk and the disposition of all or a portion of an interest held by the primary beneficiary.

We identify the primary beneficiary of a VIE as the enterprise that has both: (i) the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance; and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the VIE that could be significant to the entity. We perform this analysis on an ongoing basis.

As it relates to investments in joint ventures, GAAP may preclude consolidation by the sole general partner in certain circumstances based on the type of rights held by the limited partner or partners. We assess limited partners’ rights and their impact on our consolidation conclusions, and we reassess if there is a change to the terms or in the exercisability of the rights of the limited partners, the sole general partner increases or decreases its ownership of limited partnership (“LP”) interests or there is an increase or decrease in the number of outstanding LP interests. We also apply this guidance to managing member interests in limited liability companies (“LLCs”).

We consolidate several VIEs that share the following common characteristics:

We have separately identified certain special purpose entities that were established to allow investments in life science, research and innovation projects by tax credit investors (“TCIs”). We have determined that these special purpose entities are VIEs, we are a holder of variable interests and that we are the primary beneficiary of the VIEs, and therefore we consolidate these special purpose entities. Our primary beneficiary determination is based upon several factors, including but not limited to the rights we

In general, the assets of consolidated VIEs are available only for the settlement of the obligations of the respective entities. Unless otherwise required by the LP or LLC agreement, any mortgage loans of the consolidated VIEs are non-recourse to us. The table below summarizes the total assets and liabilities of our consolidated VIEs as reported on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We report investments in unconsolidated entities over whose operating and financial policies we have the ability to exercise significant influence under the equity method of accounting. We adjust our investment in unconsolidated entities for additional contributions made, distributions received as well as our share of the investee's earnings or losses which is included in our Consolidated Statements of Income.

We base the initial carrying value of investments in unconsolidated entities on the fair value of the assets at the time we acquired the joint venture interest. We estimate fair values for our equity method investments based on discounted cash flow models that include all estimated cash inflows and outflows over a specified holding period and, where applicable, any estimated debt premiums or discounts. The capitalization rates, discount rates and credit spreads we use in these models are based upon assumptions that we believe to be within a reasonable range of current market rates for the respective investments.

We generally amortize any difference between our cost basis and the basis reflected at the joint venture level, if any, over the lives of the related assets and liabilities and include that amortization in our share of income or loss from unconsolidated entities. For earnings of equity method investments with pro rata distribution allocations, net income or loss is allocated between the partners in the joint venture based on their respective stated ownership percentages. In other instances, net income or loss ismay be allocated between the partners in the joint venture based on the hypothetical liquidation at book value method (the “HLBV method”). Under the HLBV method, net income or loss is allocated between the partners based on the difference between each partner’s claim on the net assets of the joint venture at the end and beginning of the period, after taking into account contributions and distributions. Each partner’s share of the net assets of the joint venture is calculated as the amount that the partner would receive if the joint venture were to liquidate all of its assets at net book value and distribute the resulting cash to creditors and partners in accordance with their respective priorities. Under the HLBV method, in any given period, we could record more or less income than the joint venture has generated, than actual cash distributions we receive or than the amount we may receive in the event of an actual liquidation.

We own a majority interest in NHP/PMB L.P. (“NHP/PMB”), a limited partnership formed in 2008 to acquire properties from entities affiliated with Pacific Medical Buildings LLC (“PMB”). Given our wholly owned subsidiary is the general partner and the primary beneficiary of NHP/PMB, we consolidate it as a VIE. As of September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, third party investors owned 3.3 million Class A limited partnership units in NHP/PMB (“OP Units”), which represented 31% of the total units then outstanding, and we owned 7.3 million Class B limited partnership units in NHP/PMB, representing the remaining 69%. At any time following the first anniversary of the date of their issuance, theThe OP Units may be redeemed at any time at the election of the holder for cash or, at our option, 0.9051 shares of our common stock per OP Unit, subject to further adjustment in certain circumstances. We are party by assumption to a registration rights agreement with the holders of the OP Units that requires us, subject to the terms and conditions and certain exceptions set forth therein, to file and maintain a registration statement relating to the issuance of shares of our common stock upon redemption of OP Units.

As redemption rights are outside of our control, the redeemable OP Units are classified outside of permanent equity on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We reflect the redeemable OP Units at the greater of cost or redemption value. As of September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2019,2020, the fair value of the redeemable OP Units was $129.6$157.6 million and $171.2$146.0 million,

Certain noncontrolling interests of other consolidated joint ventures were also classified as redeemable at September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2019.2020. Accordingly, we record the carrying amount of these noncontrolling interests at the greater of their initial carrying amount (increased or decreased for the noncontrolling interests’ share of net income or loss and distributions) or the redemption value, which is primarily based on the fair value of the underlying real estate asset. Our joint venture partners have certain redemption rights with respect to their noncontrolling interests in these joint ventures that are outside of our control, and the redeemable noncontrolling interests are classified outside of permanent equity on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We recognize changes in the carrying value of redeemable noncontrolling interests through capital in excess of par value.

For certain of our life science, research and innovation centers, we are party to contractual arrangements with TCIs that were established to enable the TCIs to receive benefits of historic tax credits (“HTCs”) and/or, new markets tax credits (“NMTCs”). or both. As of September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, we owned 116 properties including 2 properties in development, that had syndicated HTCs or NMTCs, or both, to TCIs.

In general, TCIs invest cash into special purpose entities that invest in entities that own the subject property and generate the tax credits. The TCIs receive substantially all of the tax credits and hold only a nominal interest in the economic risk and benefits of the special purpose entities.

HTCs are delivered to the TCIs upon substantial completion of the project. NMTCs are allowed for up to 39% of a qualified investment and are delivered to the TCIs after the investment has been funded and spent on a qualified business. HTCs are subject to 20% recapture per year beginning one year after the completion of the historic rehabilitation of the subject property. NMTCs are subject to 100% recapture until the end of the seventh year following the qualifying investment. We have provided the TCIs with certain guarantees which protect the TCIs from losses should a tax credit recapture event occur. The contractual arrangements with the TCIs include a put/call provision whereby we may be obligated or entitled to repurchase the interest of the TCIs in the special purpose entities at the end of the tax credit recapture period. We anticipate that either the TCIs will exercise their put rights or we will exercise our call rights prior to the applicable tax credit recapture periods.

The portion of the TCI’s investment that is attributed to the put is recorded at fair value at inception in accounts payable and other liabilities on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, and is accreted to the expected put price as interest expense in our Consolidated Statements of Income over the recapture period. The remaining balance of the TCI’s investment is initially recorded in accounts payable and other liabilities on our Consolidated Balance Sheets and will be relieved upon delivery of the tax credit to the TCI, as a reduction in the carrying value of the subject property, net of allocated expenses. Direct and incremental costs incurred in structuring the transaction are deferred and will be recognized as an increase in the cost basis of the subject property upon the recognition of the related tax credit as discussed above.

Fair value is a market-based measurement, not an entity-specific measurement, and we determine fair value based on the assumptions that we expect market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. As a basis for considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, GAAP establishes a fair value hierarchy that distinguishes between market participant assumptions based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity (observable inputs that are classified within levels one and two of the hierarchy) and the reporting entity’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions (unobservable inputs classified within level three of the hierarchy).

Level one inputs utilize unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that we have the ability to access. Level two inputs are inputs other than quoted prices included in level one that are directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability. Level two inputs may include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets and other inputs for the asset or liability that are observable at commonly quoted intervals, such as interest rates, foreign exchange rates and yield curves. Level three inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, which typically are based on our own assumptions, because there is little, if any, related market activity. If the determination of the fair value measurement is based on inputs from different levels of the hierarchy, the level within which the entire fair value measurement falls is the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. If the volume and level of market activity for an asset or liability has decreased significantly relative to the normal market activity for such asset or liability (or

We use the following methods and assumptions in estimating the fair value of our financial instruments.instruments whose fair value is determined on a recurring basis.

We periodically evaluate our long-lived assets, primarily consisting of investments in real estate, for impairment indicators. If indicators of impairment are present, we evaluate the carrying value of the related real estate investments in relation to the future undiscounted cash flows of the underlying operations. In performing this evaluation, we consider market conditions and our current intentions with respect to holding or disposing of the asset. We adjust the net book value of leased properties and other long-lived assets to fair value if the sum of the expected future undiscounted cash flows, including sales proceeds, is less than book value. We recognize an impairment loss at the time we make any such determination.

We evaluate our investments in unconsolidated entities for impairment at least annually, and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of our investment may exceed its fair value. If we determine that a decline in the fair value of our investment in an unconsolidated entity is other-than-temporary, and if such reduced fair value is below the carrying value, we record an impairment.

Estimates of fair value used in our evaluation of goodwill (if necessary based on our qualitative assessment), investments in real estate, investments in unconsolidated entities and intangible assets are based upon discounted future cash flow projections or other acceptable valuation techniques that are based, in turn, upon all available evidence including level three inputs, such as revenue and expense growth rates, estimates of future cash flows, capitalization rates, discount rates, general economic conditions and trends, or other available market data such as replacement cost or comparable sales. Our ability to accurately predict future operating results and cash flows and to estimate and determine fair values impacts the timing and recognition of impairments. While we believe our assumptions are reasonable, changes in these assumptions may have a material impact on our financial results.

Certain of our triple-net leases and most of our MOB and life science, research and innovation centers (collectively, “office operations”) leases provide for periodic and determinable increases in base rent. We recognize base rental revenues under these leases on a straight-line basis over the applicable lease term when collectability of substantially all rents is probable. Recognizing rental income on a straight-line basis generally results in recognized revenues during the first half of a lease term exceeding the cash amounts contractually due from our tenants, creating a straight-line rent receivable that is included in other assets on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. At September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2019,2020, this cumulative excess totaled $164.2$173.2 million and $278.8$169.7 million, respectively (excluding properties classified as held for sale).

Certain of our leases provide for periodic increases in base rent only if certain revenue parameters or other substantive contingencies are met. We recognize the increased rental revenue under these leases as the related parameters or contingencies are met, rather than on a straight-line basis over the applicable lease term.

We assess the probability of collecting substantially all rents under our leases based on several factors, including, among other things, payment history, the financial strength of the tenant and any guarantors, the historical operations and operating trends of the property, the historical payment pattern of the tenant, the type of property, the value of the underlying collateral, if any, expected future performance of the property and current economic conditions. If our evaluation of these factors indicates it is not probable that we will be able to collect substantially all rents under the lease, we recognizerecord a charge to rental income. If we change our conclusions regarding the probability of collecting rent payments required by a lease, we may recognize adjustments to rental income in the period we make such change in our conclusions.

Our resident agreements are accounted for as leases and we recognize resident fees and services, other than move-in fees, monthly as services are provided. We recognize move-in fees on a straight-line basis over the average resident stay.