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SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (UNITED DOMINION REALTY, L.P.) (Policies)
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
Entity information  
Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326), Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The standard required entities to estimate a lifetime expected credit loss for most financial assets, including trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans and other financial instruments, and to present the net amount of the financial instrument expected to be collected. In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses, which amended the transition requirements and scope of ASU 2016-13 and clarified that receivables arising from operating leases are not within the scope of the credit losses standard, but rather, should be accounted for in accordance with the leases standard. The updated standard became effective for the Company on January 1, 2020 and was adopted on a modified retrospective

basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings of approximately $2.2 million on that date, which was primarily associated with our notes receivable. The Company concluded the cumulative effect was not material to our consolidated financial statements. Disclosures were updated pursuant to the requirements of the ASU.

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848). ASU 2020-04 contains practical expedients for reference rate reform related activities that impact debt, leases, derivatives and other contracts. The guidance in ASU 2020-04 is optional and may be elected over time as reference rate reform activities occur. During the first quarter of 2020, the Company elected to apply the hedge accounting expedients related to probability and the assessments of effectiveness for future LIBOR-indexed cash flows to assume that the index upon which future hedged transactions will be based matches the index on the corresponding derivatives. Application of these expedients preserves the presentation of derivatives consistent with past presentation. The Company continues to evaluate the impact of the guidance and may apply other elections as applicable as additional changes in the market occur. The Company does not expect the ASU to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

Real Estate Sales Gain Recognition

Real Estate Sales Gain Recognition

For sale transactions resulting in a transfer of a controlling financial interest of a property, the Company generally derecognizes the related assets and liabilities from its Consolidated Balance Sheets and records the gain or loss in the period in which the transfer of control occurs. If control of the property has not transferred to the counterparty, the criteria for derecognition are not met and the Company will continue to recognize the related assets and liabilities on its Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Sale transactions to entities in which the Company sells a controlling financial interest in a property but retains a noncontrolling interest are accounted for as partial sales. Partial sales resulting in a change in control are accounted for at fair value and a full gain or loss is recognized. Therefore, the Company will record a gain or loss on the partial interest sold, and the initial measurement of our retained interest will be accounted for at fair value.

Sales of real estate to joint ventures or other noncontrolled investees are also accounted for at fair value and the Company will record a full gain or loss in the period the property is contributed.

To the extent that the Company acquires a controlling financial interest in a property that it previously accounted for as an equity method investment, the Company will not remeasure its previously held interest if the acquisition is treated as an asset acquisition. The Company will include the carrying amount of its previously held equity method interest along with the consideration paid and transaction costs incurred in determining the amounts to allocate to the related assets and liabilities acquired on its Consolidated Balance Sheets. When treated as an asset acquisition, the Company will not recognize a gain or loss on consolidation of a property.

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation

The Company accounts for subsidiary partnerships, joint ventures and other similar entities in which it holds an ownership interest in accordance with the consolidation guidance. The Company first evaluates whether each entity is a variable interest entity (“VIE”). Under the VIE model, the Company consolidates an entity when it has control to direct the activities of the VIE and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE. Under the voting model, the Company consolidates an entity when it controls the entity through ownership of a majority voting interest.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

Due to the structure of the Company as a REIT and the nature of the operations for the operating properties, no provision for federal income taxes has been provided for at UDR. Historically, the Company has generally incurred only state and local excise and franchise taxes. UDR has elected for certain consolidated subsidiaries to be treated as taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRS”).

Income taxes for our TRS are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured

using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities from a change in tax rate is recognized in earnings in the period of the enactment date. The Company’s deferred tax assets/(liabilities) are generally the result of differing depreciable lives on capitalized assets, temporary differences between book and tax basis of assets and liabilities and timing of expense recognition for certain accrued liabilities. As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, UDR’s net deferred tax asset/(liability) was $(1.4) million and $(1.6) million, respectively.

GAAP defines a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. GAAP also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting for interim periods, disclosure and transition.

The Company recognizes its tax positions and evaluates them using a two-step process. First, UDR determines whether a tax position is more likely than not (greater than 50 percent probability) to be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. Second, the Company will determine the amount of benefit to recognize and record the amount that is more likely than not to be realized upon ultimate settlement.

The Company invests in assets that qualify for federal investment tax credits (“ITC”) through our TRS. An ITC reduces federal income taxes payable when qualifying depreciable property is acquired. The ITC is determined as a percentage of cost of the assets. The Company accounts for ITCs under the deferral method, under which the tax benefit from the ITC is deferred and amortized as a tax benefit into Tax (provision)/benefit, net on the Consolidated Statements of Operations over the book life of the qualifying depreciable property. The ITCs are recorded in Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

UDR had no material unrecognized tax benefit, accrued interest or penalties at March 31, 2020. UDR and its subsidiaries are subject to federal income tax as well as income tax of various state and local jurisdictions. The tax years 2016 through 2018 remain open to examination by tax jurisdictions to which we are subject. When applicable, UDR recognizes interest and/or penalties related to uncertain tax positions in Tax (provision)/benefit, net on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Comprehensive Income/(Loss)

Comprehensive Income/(Loss)

Comprehensive income/(loss), which is defined as the change in equity during each period from transactions and other events and circumstances from nonowner sources, including all changes in equity during a period except for those resulting from investments by or distributions to stockholders, is displayed in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income/(Loss). For the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company’s other comprehensive income/(loss) consisted of the gain/(loss) on derivative instruments that are designated as and qualify as cash flow hedges, (gain)/loss on derivative instruments reclassified from other comprehensive income/(loss) into earnings, and the allocation of other comprehensive income/(loss) to noncontrolling interests. The (gain)/loss on derivative instruments reclassified from other comprehensive income/(loss) is included in Interest expense on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. See Note 11, Derivatives and Hedging Activity, for further discussion. The allocation of other comprehensive income/(loss) to redeemable noncontrolling interests during the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 was $(0.1) million and $(0.3) million, respectively.

United Dominion Realty L.P.  
Entity information  
Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326), Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The standard required entities to estimate a lifetime expected credit loss for most financial assets, including trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans and other financial instruments, and to present the net amount of the financial instrument expected to be collected. In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses, which amended the transition requirements and scope of ASU 2016-13 and clarified that receivables arising from operating leases are not within the scope of the credit losses standard, but rather, should be accounted for in accordance with the leases standard. The

updated standard became effective for the Operating Partnership on January 1, 2020 and was adopted on a modified

retrospective basis. However, as the Operating Partnership’s financial assets primarily relate to receivables arising from operating leases, the ASU did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. Disclosures were updated pursuant to the requirements of the ASU.

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848). ASU 2020-04 contains practical expedients for reference rate reform related activities that impact debt, leases, derivatives and other contracts. The guidance in ASU 2020-04 is optional and may be elected over time as reference rate reform activities occur. During the first quarter of 2020, the Operating Partnership elected to apply the hedge accounting expedients related to probability and the assessments of effectiveness for future LIBOR-indexed cash flows to assume that the index upon which future hedged transactions will be based matches the index on the corresponding derivatives. Application of these expedients preserves the presentation of derivatives consistent with past presentation. The Operating Partnership continues to evaluate the impact of the guidance and may apply other elections as applicable as additional changes in the market occur. The Operating Partnership does not expect the ASU to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

Real Estate Sales Gain Recognition

Real Estate Sales Gain Recognition

For sale transactions resulting in a transfer of a controlling financial interest of a property, the Operating Partnership generally derecognizes the related assets and liabilities from its Consolidated Balance Sheets and records the gain or loss in the period in which the transfer of control occurs. If control of the property has not transferred to the counterparty, the criteria for derecognition are not met and the Operating Partnership will continue to recognize the related assets and liabilities on its Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Sale transactions to entities in which the Operating Partnership sells a controlling financial interest in a property but retains a noncontrolling interest are accounted for as partial sales. Partial sales resulting in a change in control are

accounted for at fair value and a full gain or loss is recognized. Therefore, the Operating Partnership will record a gain or loss on the partial interest sold, and the initial measurement of our retained interest will be accounted for at fair value.

Sales of real estate to joint ventures or other noncontrolled investees are also accounted for at fair value and the Operating Partnership will record a full gain or loss in the period the property is contributed.

To the extent that the Operating Partnership acquires a controlling financial interest in a property that it previously accounted for as an equity method investment, the Operating Partnership will not remeasure its previously held interest if the acquisition is treated as an asset acquisition. The Operating Partnership will include the carrying amount of its previously held equity method interest along with the consideration paid and transaction costs incurred in determining the amounts to allocate to the related assets and liabilities acquired on its Consolidated Balance Sheets. When treated as an asset acquisition, the Operating Partnership will not recognize a gain or loss on consolidation of a property.

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation

The Operating Partnership accounts for subsidiary partnerships, joint ventures and other similar entities in which it holds an ownership interest in accordance with the consolidation guidance. The Operating Partnership first evaluates whether each entity is a variable interest entity (“VIE”). Under the VIE model, the Operating Partnership consolidates an entity when it has control to direct the activities of the VIE and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE. Under the voting model, the Operating Partnership consolidates an entity when it controls the entity through ownership of a majority voting interest.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

The taxable income or loss of the Operating Partnership is reported on the tax returns of the partners. Accordingly, no provision has been made in the accompanying financial statements for federal or state income taxes on income that is passed through to the partners. However, any state or local revenue, excise or franchise taxes that result from the operating activities of the Operating Partnership are recorded at the entity level. The Operating Partnership’s tax returns are subject to examination by federal and state taxing authorities. Net income for financial reporting purposes differs from the net income for income tax reporting purposes primarily due to temporary differences, principally real estate depreciation and the tax deferral of certain gains on property sales. The differences in depreciation result from differences in the book and tax basis of certain real estate assets and the differences in the methods of depreciation and lives of the real estate assets.

The Operating Partnership evaluates the accounting and disclosure of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Operating Partnership’s tax returns to determine whether the tax positions are “more-likely-than-not” of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. Tax positions not deemed to meet the more-likely-than-not threshold would be recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. Management of the Operating Partnership is required to analyze all open tax years, as defined by the statute of limitations, for all major jurisdictions, which include federal and certain states. The Operating Partnership has no examinations in progress and none are expected at this time.

Management of the Operating Partnership has reviewed all open tax years (2016 through 2018) of tax jurisdictions and concluded there is no tax liability resulting from unrecognized tax benefits relating to uncertain income tax positions taken or expected to be taken in future tax returns.

Income/(Loss) Per Operating Partnership Unit

Income/(Loss) Per Operating Partnership Unit

Basic income/(loss) per OP Unit is computed by dividing net income/(loss) attributable to the general and limited partner unitholders by the weighted average number of general and limited partner units outstanding during the year. Diluted income/(loss) per OP Unit reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue OP Units were exercised or converted into OP Units or resulted in the issuance of OP Units and then shared in the income/(loss) of the Operating Partnership.