Basis of Preparation (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2015

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

New Accounting Pronouncements

New Accounting Pronouncements

In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2015-03 Interest - Imputation of Interest, which amends the balance sheet presentation for debt issuance costs. Under the amended guidance, a company will present unamortized debt issuance costs as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability. The guidance is to be applied on a retrospective basis, and is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption being permitted. The Trust is currently in the process of evaluating the impact the adoption of the guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.

In January 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-01, Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items, which simplifies income statement presentation by eliminating extraordinary items from US GAAP. The ASU retains current presentation and disclosure requirements for an event or transaction that is of an unusual nature or of a type that indicates infrequency of occurrence. Transactions that meet both criteria would now also follow such presentation and disclosure requirements. The ASU is effective in annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted; however, adoption must occur at the beginning of an annual period. An entity can elect to apply the guidance prospectively or retrospectively. The Trust elected early adoption for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2014, and its adoption did not have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements.

Basis of Preparation

The accompanying interim unaudited consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2015, and for the three and six months ended March 31,2015 and 2014, reflect all normal recurring adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for such interim periods. The results of operations for the three and six months ended March 31,2015 and 2014, are not necessarily indicative of the results for the full year. The consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2014, has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") for complete financial statements.

Consolidated Financial Statements and Variable Interest Entities

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts and operations of BRT Realty Trust, its wholly owned subsidiaries, and its majority owned or controlled real estate entities and its interests in variable interest entities in which the Trust is determined to be the primary beneficiary. Material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

RBH‑TRB Newark Holdings LLC, referred to herein as the Newark Joint Venture, was determined to be a variable interest entity (“VIE”) because the total equity investment at risk is not sufficient to permit it to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support by its equity holders. The Trust was determined to be the primary beneficiary of this joint venture because it has a controlling interest in that it has the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance and it has the obligation to absorb losses of the entity and the right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the entity.

The Trust’s consolidated joint ventures that own multi‑family properties, other than the joint venture which owns a multi-family property in Kennesaw, GA, were determined to be VIE’s because the voting rights of some equity investors are not proportional to their obligations to absorb the expected losses of the entity and their right to receive the expected residual returns. In addition, substantially all of the entity’s activities either involved or are conducted on behalf of an investor that has disproportionately fewer voting rights. It was determined that the Trust is the primary beneficiary of these joint ventures because it has a controlling interest in that it has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance and it has the obligation to absorb losses and the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the entity.

The joint venture that owns the Kennesaw, GA property was determined not to be a VIE but is consolidated because the Trust has a controlling financial interest in the entity due to its substantive participating rights.

With respect to its unconsolidated joint ventures, as (i) the Trust is primarily the managing member but does not exercise substantial operating control over these entities or the Trust is not the managing member and (ii) such entities are not VIE’s, the Trust has determined that such joint ventures should be accounted for under the equity method of accounting for financial statement purposes.

The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates.