Investments in and Advances to Unconsolidated Entities and Non-Performing Loan Portfolio	6 Months Ended
	Apr. 30, 2011
Investments in and Advances to Unconsolidated Entities and Non-Performing Loan Portfolio [Abstract]
Investments in and Advances to Unconsolidated Entities and Non-Performing Loan Portfolio	3. Investments in and Advances to Unconsolidated Entities and Non-Performing Loan Portfolio The Company has investments in and advances to various unconsolidated entities, including Toll Brothers Realty Trust and Toll Brothers Realty Trust II. In fiscal 2010, the Company formed Gibraltar Capital and Asset Management LLC (“Gibraltar”) to invest in distressed real estate opportunities. Through Gibraltar, the Company has invested in a structured asset joint venture and has made an investment in a non-performing loan portfolio. *Development Joint Ventures* The Company has investments in, and advances to, a number of joint ventures with unrelated parties to develop land (“Development Joint Ventures”). Some of these Development Joint Ventures develop land for the sole use of the venture participants, including the Company, and others develop land for sale to the joint venture participants and to unrelated builders. The Company recognizes its share of earnings from the sale of home sites by the Development Joint Ventures to other builders. With regard to home sites the Company purchases from the Development Joint Ventures, the Company reduces its cost basis in those home sites by its share of the earnings on the home sites. At April 30, 2011, the Company had approximately $18.9 million, net of impairment charges, invested in or advanced to the Development Joint Ventures. In addition, the Company has a funding commitment of $3.5 million to one Development Joint Venture should an additional investment in that venture be required. As of April 30, 2011, the Company had recognized cumulative impairment charges in connection with its current Development Joint Ventures of $163.8 million. These impairment charges are attributable to investments in certain Development Joint Ventures where the Company determined there was a loss in value in the investment that was other than temporary. The Company recognized an impairment charge in connection with one of its Development Joint Ventures of $20.0 million in the three-month period ended January 31, 2011 and an additional impairment charge of $9.6 million in the three-month period ended April 30, 2011. The Company did not recognize any impairment charges in connection with the Development Joint Ventures in the three-month periods ended April 30, 2010 and January 31, 2010. At April 30, 2011, one of the Development Joint Ventures had a loan with a principal balance of $327.9 million subject to litigation discussed below. This loan is non-recourse to the Company; however, the Company executed certain completion guarantees and conditional repayment guarantees against this loan. The obligations under such completion guarantees and conditional repayment guarantees are several and not joint and are limited to the Company’s pro rata share of the loan obligation of this Development Joint Venture. In December 2008, the lending syndicate for the Development Joint Venture filed separate lawsuits against the members of the Development Joint Venture and their parent companies, seeking to recover damages under the completion guarantees and damages allegedly caused by the venture’s failure to repay the lenders. In December 2010, three of the lenders in this syndicate filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against this joint venture entity. In February 2011, the bankruptcy court entered an order for relief and ordered the appointment of a bankruptcy trustee. The joint venture appealed the bankruptcy court’s order, but this appeal was denied by the U.S. District Court. The joint venture has now appealed this ruling. The Company believes that adequate provision for resolution of all claims and pending litigation has been made for probable losses and the disposition of the above matter is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and liquidity or on its financial condition. *Planned Community Joint Venture* The Company is a participant in a joint venture with an unrelated party to develop a single master planned community (the “Planned Community Joint Venture”). At April 30, 2011, the Company had an investment of $41.1 million in this Planned Community Joint Venture. At April 30, 2011, each participant had agreed to contribute additional funds up to $8.3 million, if required. If a participant fails to make a required capital contribution, the other participant may make the additional contribution and diminish the non-contributing participant’s ownership interest. At April 30, 2011, this joint venture did not have any indebtedness. The Company recognized an impairment charge in connection with the Planned Community Joint Venture of $10.0 million in the three-month period ended April 30, 2011. The Company did not recognize any impairment charges in connection with the Planned Community Joint Venture in the three-month period ended January 31, 2011 or in the six-month and three-month periods ended April 30, 2010. *Condominium Joint Ventures* At April 30, 2011, the Company had an aggregate of $41.0 million of investments in four joint ventures with unrelated parties to develop luxury condominium projects, including for-sale residential units and commercial space (“Condominium Joint Ventures”). At April 30, 2011, the Condominium Joint Ventures had aggregate loan commitments of $106.1 million, against which approximately $100.6 million had been borrowed. As of April 30, 2011, the Company had recognized cumulative impairment charges against its investments in the Condominium Joint Ventures and its pro rata share of impairment charges recognized by these Condominium Joint Ventures in the amount of $63.9 million. The Company did not recognize any impairment charges in connection with its Condominium Joint Ventures in the six-month and three-month periods ended April 30, 2011 and 2010. At April 30, 2011, the Company did not have any commitments to make contributions to any Condominium Joint Venture. *Structured Asset Joint Venture* In July 2010, the Company, through Gibraltar, invested $29.1 million in a joint venture in which it is a 20% participant with two unrelated parties to purchase a 40% interest in an entity that owns and controls a portfolio of loans and real estate (“Structured Asset Joint Venture”). At April 30, 2011, the Company had an investment of $30.5 million in this Structured Asset Joint Venture. At April 30, 2011, the Company did not have any commitments to make additional contributions to the joint venture and has not guaranteed any of the joint venture’s liabilities. If the joint venture needs additional capital and a participant fails to make a requested capital contribution, the other participant may make a contribution in consideration for a preferred return or may make the additional capital contribution and diminish the non-contributing participant’s ownership interest. *Loan Participation* In March 2011, the Company, through Gibraltar, acquired a 60% participation in a portfolio of non-performing loans. The portfolio of 83 loans with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of approximately $200 million consisted primarily of residential acquisition, development and construction loans secured by properties at various stages of completion. The Company purchased its participation for $42.1 million and will contribute approximately $2.4 million to an expense reserve fund to pay for the costs to be incurred in managing the portfolio and the underlying assets. At April 30, 2011, the Company’s investment and pro rata share of the portfolio’s earnings amounted to $42.6 million. In the three-month period ended April 30, 2011, the Company recognized $0.5 million of earnings from the portfolio. *Toll Brothers Realty Trust and Trust II* In fiscal 2005, the Company, together with the Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement System (“PASERS”), formed Toll Brothers Realty Trust II (“Trust II”) to be in a position to take advantage of commercial real estate opportunities. Trust II is owned 50% by the Company and 50% by an affiliate of PASERS. At April 30, 2011, the Company had an investment of $10.8 million in Trust II. Prior to the formation of Trust II, the Company formed Toll Brothers Realty Trust (the “Trust”) in 1998 to take advantage of commercial real estate opportunities. The Trust is effectively owned one-third by the Company; one-third by Robert I. Toll, Bruce E. Toll (and members of his family), Zvi Barzilay (and members of his family), Douglas C. Yearley, Jr. and former members of the Company’s senior management; and one-third by an affiliate of PASERS (collectively, the “Shareholders”). As of April 30, 2011, the Company had a net investment in the Trust of $0.3 million. The Company provides development, finance and management services to the Trust and recognized fees under the terms of various agreements in the amounts of $1.1 million in each of the six-month periods ended April 30, 2011 and 2010, and $0.5 million in each of the three-month periods ended April 30, 2011 and 2010. The Company believes that the transactions between itself and the Trust were on terms no less favorable than it would have agreed to with unrelated parties. *General* At April 30, 2011, the Company had accrued $70.1 million of aggregate exposure with respect to its estimated obligations to unconsolidated entities in which it has an investment. The Company’s investments in these entities are accounted for using the equity method. The Company recognized $39.6 million and $19.6 million of impairment charges related to its investments in and advances to unconsolidated entities in the six-month and three-month periods ended April 30, 2011, respectively. The Company did not recognize any impairment charges related to its investments in and advances to unconsolidated entities in the comparable periods of fiscal 2010. Impairment charges related to these entities are included in “(Loss) income from unconsolidated entities” in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.