DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

Ventas, Inc. (together with its 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”) with a highly diversified portfolio of seniors housing and healthcare properties throughout the United States and Canada. As of March 31, 2013, we owned more than 1,400 properties, including seniors housing communities, skilled nursing and other facilities, medical office buildings (“MOBs”), and hospitals, in 46 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces, and we had two new properties under development. Our company is currently headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

We primarily acquire and own seniors housing and healthcare properties and lease our properties to unaffiliated tenants or operate them through independent third-party managers. As of March 31, 2013, we leased 890 properties (excluding MOBs and properties classified as held for sale) to various healthcare operating companies under “triple-net” or “absolute-net” leases that obligate the tenants to pay all property-related expenses, including maintenance, utilities, repairs, taxes, insurance and capital expenditures. Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Kindred”) and Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Brookdale Senior Living”) leased from us 182 properties and 148 properties (excluding six properties included in investments in unconsolidated entities), respectively, as of March 31, 2013. As of March 31, 2013, we also engaged independent operators, such as Atria Senior Living, Inc. (“Atria”) and Sunrise Senior Living, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Sunrise”), to manage 222 of our seniors housing communities (excluding properties classified as held for sale) pursuant to long-term management agreements.

In addition, through our Lillibridge Healthcare Services, Inc. (“Lillibridge”) subsidiary and our ownership interest in PMB Real Estate Services LLC (“PMBRES”), we provide MOB management, leasing, marketing, facility development and advisory services to highly rated hospitals and health systems throughout the United States. From time to time, we also make secured and unsecured loans and other investments relating to seniors housing and healthcare operators or properties.