Nature of Business

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

Nature Of Business [Abstract]

Nature of Business

NATURE OF BUSINESS

Washington Real Estate Investment Trust (“WRIT”), a Maryland real estate investment trust, is a self-administered, self-managed equity real estate investment trust, successor to a trust organized in 1960. Our business consists of the ownership and operation of income-producing real estate properties in the greater Washington metro region. We own a diversified portfolio of office buildings, medical office buildings, multifamily buildings and retail centers.

Federal Income Taxes

We believe that we qualify as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) under Sections 856-860 of the Internal Revenue Code and intend to continue to qualify as such. To maintain our status as a REIT, we are required to distribute 90% of our ordinary taxable income to our shareholders. When selling properties, we have the option of (a) reinvesting the sales proceeds of properties sold, allowing for a deferral of income taxes on the sale, (b) paying out capital gains to the shareholders with no tax to WRIT or (c) treating the capital gains as having been distributed to the shareholders, paying the tax on the gain deemed distributed and allocating the tax paid as a credit to the shareholders.

Generally, and subject to our ongoing qualification as a REIT, no provisions for income taxes are necessary except for taxes on undistributed REIT taxable income and taxes on the income generated by our taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”). Our TRSs are subject to corporate federal and state income tax on their taxable income at regular statutory rates. There were no material income tax provisions or material net deferred income tax items for our TRSs for the three and six months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012.