20. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Legal Proceedings

The Company is involved from time to time in litigation on various matters, including disputes with tenants and disputes arising out of agreements to purchase or sell properties. Given the nature of the Company’s business activities, these lawsuits are considered routine to the conduct of its business. The result of any particular lawsuit cannot be predicted, because of the very nature of litigation, the litigation process and its adversarial nature, and the jury system. The Company will establish reserves for specific legal proceedings when it determines that the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome is probable and when the amount of loss is reasonably estimable. The Company does not expect that the liabilities, if any, that may ultimately result from such legal actions will have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows of the Company.

Letters-of-Credit

Under certain mortgages, the Company has funded required leasing and capital reserve accounts for the benefit of the mortgage lenders with letters-of-credit. There is an associated $10.0 million letter of credit for a mortgage lender at each of December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015. Certain of the tenant rents at properties that secure these mortgage loans are deposited into the loan servicer’s depository accounts, which are used to fund debt service, operating expenses, capital expenditures and the escrow and reserve accounts, as necessary. Any excess cash is included in cash and cash equivalents.

Environmental

As an owner of real estate, the Company is subject to various environmental laws of federal, state, and local governments. The Company’s compliance with existing laws has not had a material adverse effect on its financial condition and results of operations, and the Company does not believe it will have a material adverse effect in the future. However, the Company cannot predict the impact of unforeseen environmental contingencies or new or changed laws or regulations on its current Properties or on properties that the Company may acquire.

Ground Rent

Future minimum rental payments under the terms of all non-cancellable ground leases under which the Company is the lessee are expensed on a straight-line basis regardless of when payments are due. The Company’s ground leases have remaining lease terms ranging from 4 to 72 years. Minimum future rental payments on non-cancelable leases at December 31, 2016 are as follows (in thousands):

Year	Minimum Rent
2017	$	1,339
2018		1,339
2019		1,339
2020		1,339
2021		1,339
Thereafter		66,231
Total	$	72,926

The Company obtained ground tenancy rights related to three properties in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which provide for contingent rent participation by the lessor in certain capital transactions and net operating cash flows of the properties after certain returns are achieved by the Company. Such amounts, if any, will be reflected as contingent rent when incurred. The leases also provide for payment by the Company of certain operating costs relating to the land, primarily real estate taxes. The above schedule of future minimum rental payments does not include any contingent rent amounts or any reimbursed expenses.

Put Agreement

On May 4, 2015, the Company entered into a put agreement in the ordinary course of business that grants an unaffiliated third party the unilateral option to require the Company to purchase a property, at a predetermined price, until May 4, 2018. In addition to the $35.0 million purchase price, the Company would be responsible for transaction and closing costs. There can be no assurance that the counterparty will exercise the option.

Fair Value of Contingent Consideration

On April 2, 2015, the Company purchased 618 Market Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The allocated purchase price included contingent consideration of $2.0 million payable to the seller upon commencement of development. The liability was recorded at a fair value of $1.6 million and will accrete through interest expense to $2.0 million over the expected period until development is commenced. The fair value of this contingent consideration was determined using a probability weighted discounted cash flow model. The significant inputs to the discounted cash flow model were the discount rate and weighted probability scenarios. As the inputs are unobservable, the Company determined the inputs used to value this liability fall within Level 3 for fair value reporting. As of December 31, 2016, the liability had accreted to $1.7 million. As there were no significant changes to the inputs, the liability remains within Level 3 for fair value reporting.

Debt Guarantees

As of December 31, 2016, the Company’s unconsolidated real estate ventures had aggregate indebtedness to third parties of $997.5 million. These loans are generally mortgage or construction loans, most of which are non-recourse to the Company. In addition, in certain instances, the Company provides non-recourse carve-out guarantees on these non-recourse loans. As of December 31, 2016, the loans for which there is recourse to the Company consists of the following: (i) a $3.2 million payment guarantee on the $56.0 million construction loan for TB-BDN Plymouth Apartments; (ii) a several cost overrun guaranty on the $88.9 million construction loan for the development project being undertaken by 1919 Market Street LP; and (iii) a $0.4 million payment guarantee on a loan provided to PJP VII. See Note 4, "Investment in Unconsolidated Real Estate Ventures," in the notes to the financial statements for more information. On January 31, 2017, the Company sold its 50% interest in TB-BDN Plymouth Apartments, L.P. See Note 21, “Subsequent Events,” in the notes to the financial statements for further information.

Other Commitments or Contingencies

On July 1, 2016, the Company closed on the acquisition of 34.6 acres of land located in Austin, Texas known as the Garza Ranch. The Company is currently under agreement to sell 9.5 acres (of the 34.6 acres) to two unaffiliated third parties. In connection with the agreements of sale, the Company entered into a development agreement and related completion guarantee to construct certain infrastructure improvements to the land on behalf of each buyer, estimated to cost $10.3 million. Total estimated costs related to the improvements are included in the sale price of each land parcel. Recognition of the profit earned upon sale of the land parcels is deferred until the improvements are completed. See Note 21, “Subsequent Events,” in the notes to the financial statements for additional information relating to the sale of the 1.7 acres of land at Garza Ranch.

On December 3, 2015, the Company entered into an agreement as development manager to construct Subaru of America’s (“Subaru”) corporate headquarters in Camden, New Jersey. The agreement provides the Company with the ability to earn additional profit if total project costs are less than the not-to-exceed (“NTE”) amount. The NTE amount, currently at $78.1 million, may be adjusted by change orders agreed upon by both Subaru and the Company. If construction costs are in excess of the NTE amount, the Company is obligated to pay such cost overruns. The terms of the guarantee do not provide a limitation on the costs the Company may be responsible for. As of December 31, 2016, the Company does not expect to incur costs in excess of the NTE amount.

Also on December 3, 2015, the Company entered into an agreement to construct an 83,000 square foot build-to-suit service center (the “Subaru NSTC Development”) on land parcels owned by the Company for Subaru of America as the single tenant. On such date, Subaru of America entered into an 18-year lease for the service center. The lease contains a purchase option, which allows Subaru to purchase the property at commencement of the lease, or five years subsequent to inception, at depreciated cost. The Company currently expects to deliver the building during the second quarter of 2018. At December 31, 2016, $10.5 million of the project costs, totaling $29.3 million, had been funded.

As part of the Company’s September 2004 acquisition of a portfolio of properties from The Rubenstein Company (which the Company refers to as the “TRC acquisition”), the Company acquired its interest in Two Logan Square, a 708,844 square foot office building in Philadelphia, primarily through its ownership of a second and third mortgage secured by this property. This property is consolidated, as the borrower is a variable interest entity and the Company, through its ownership of the second and third mortgages, is the primary beneficiary. The Company currently does not expect to take title to Two Logan Square until, at the earliest, January 2020. If the Company takes fee title to Two Logan Square upon a foreclosure of its mortgage, the Company has agreed to pay an unaffiliated third party that holds a residual interest in the fee owner of this property an amount equal to $2.9 million. On the TRC acquisition date, the Company recorded a liability of $0.7 million and this amount will accrete up to $2.9 million through January 2020. As of December 31, 2016, the Company had a balance of $2.2 million for this liability in its consolidated balance sheet.

As part of the Company’s 2006 merger with Prentiss Properties Trust (“Prentiss”), the 2004 TRC acquisition and several of our other transactions, the Company agreed not to sell certain of the properties it acquired in transactions that would trigger taxable income to the former owners. In the case of the TRC acquisition, the Company agreed not to sell acquired properties in non-exempt transactions for periods up to 15 years from the date of the TRC acquisition as follows at December 31, 2016: One Logan Square, Two Logan Square and Radnor Corporate Center (January, 2020). In the Prentiss acquisition, the Company assumed the obligation of Prentiss not to sell Concord Airport Plaza before March, 2018. See Note 21, “Subsequent Events,” for further information regarding the like-kind exchange under Section 1031. The Company’s agreements generally provide that it may dispose of the subject properties only in transactions that qualify as tax-free exchanges under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code or in other tax deferred transactions. If the Company were to sell a restricted property before expiration of the restricted period in a non-exempt transaction, the Company may be required to make significant payments to the parties who sold the applicable property on account of tax liabilities attributed to them. Similarly, as part of the 2013 acquisition of substantially all of the equity interests in the partnerships that own One and Two Commerce Square, the Company agreed, for the benefit of affiliates of the holder of the 1% residual ownership interest in these properties, to not sell these two properties in certain taxable transactions prior to October 20, 2021 without the holder’s consent.

As part of the Company’s acquisition of properties from time to time in tax-deferred transactions, the Company has agreed to provide certain of the prior owners of the acquired properties with the right to guarantee the Company’s indebtedness. If the Company were to seek to repay the indebtedness guaranteed by the prior owner before the expiration of the applicable agreement, the Company would be required to provide the prior owner an opportunity to guaranty qualifying replacement debt. These debt maintenance agreements may limit the Company’s ability to refinance indebtedness on terms favorable to the Company. As part of our 2013 acquisition of substantially all of the equity interests in the partnerships that own One and Two Commerce Square, the Company agreed, for the benefit of affiliates of the holder of the 1% residual ownership interest in these properties, to maintain qualifying mortgage debt through October 20, 2021, in the amounts of not less than $125.0 million on One Commerce Square and $100.0 million on Two Commerce Square. Similarly, the Company has agreements in place with other contributors of assets that obligate it to maintain debt available for them to guaranty.

The Company invests in its properties and regularly incurs capital expenditures in the ordinary course of business to maintain the properties. The Company believes that such expenditures enhance its competitiveness. The Company also enters into construction, utility and service contracts in the ordinary course of business which may extend beyond one year. These contracts typically provide for cancellation with insignificant or no cancellation penalties.