Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Procedures (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Realty Income and other subsidiaries for which we make operating and financial decisions (i.e., control), after elimination of all material intercompany balances and transactions. We consolidate entities that we control and record a noncontrolling interest for the portion that we do not own. Noncontrolling interest that was created or assumed as part of a business combination or asset acquisition was recognized at fair value as of the date of the transaction (see note 10). We have no unconsolidated investments.

Income Taxes

We have elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. We believe we have qualified and continue to qualify as a REIT. Under the REIT operating structure, we are permitted to deduct dividends paid to our stockholders in determining our taxable income.  Assuming our dividends equal or exceed our taxable net income, we generally will not be required to pay federal corporate income taxes on such income. Accordingly, no provision has been made for federal income taxes in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, except for federal income taxes of our taxable REIT subsidiaries. The income taxes recorded on our consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income represent amounts accrued or paid by Realty Income and its subsidiaries for city and state income and franchise taxes and for U.K. income taxes.

Leases

On April 8, 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, staff and FASB board members responded to questions about the accounting for COVID-19 related rent concessions under Topic 842, Leases. The accounting for these rent concessions under Topic 842 depends on the enforceable rights and obligations of the parties under the original lease contract (including those arising from the laws of the jurisdiction governing the lease contract) and the nature of any changes to the terms and conditions of the contract. If a rent concession under these circumstances is required by the original lease contract (e.g. by a force majeure clause), the concession will generally be accounted for as a variable lease payment. In contrast, if the lessor is under no obligation to grant a rent concession, the lessor’s agreement to grant one should be accounted for as a lease modification.

The FASB staff has provided clarifying guidance for leases for which the total lease cash flows will remain substantially the same or less than those after the COVID-19 related effects, though companies may choose to forgo the evaluation of the enforceable rights and obligations of the original lease contract as a practical expedient.

Instead, the company would account for rent concessions, whatever their form (e.g. rent deferral, abatement or other), either (1) as if they are part of the enforceable rights and obligations of the parties under the existing lease contract; or (2) as a lease modification. If accounting for a concession as a lease modification, the full lease modification requirements under Topic 842 apply. Under either policy election, we must continue to assess the probability of collecting substantially all of the lease payments to which we are entitled under the original lease contract as required under Topic 842. If a company concludes collection of substantially all lease payments under a lease is less than probable, rental revenue recognized for that lease is limited to cash received and existing operating lease receivables must be written off as an adjustment to rental revenue.

The majority of concessions granted to our tenants during the first nine months of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have been rent deferrals with the original lease term unchanged. We currently anticipate future concessions to be similar. In accordance with the April 8, 2020 guidance provided by the FASB staff, we have elected to account for these leases as if the right of deferral existed in the lease contract and therefore continue to recognize lease revenue in accordance with the lease contract in effect. In limited circumstances, the undiscounted cash flows resulting from deferrals granted during the first nine months of 2020 increased significantly from original lease terms, which required us to account for these as lease modifications, and resulted in an insignificant impact to rental revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. Similarly, rent abatements granted during the first nine months of 2020, which were also accounted for as lease modifications, impacted our rental revenue by an insignificant amount for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020.

We assess collectability of our future lease payments based on an analysis of creditworthiness, economic trends (including trends arising from the COVID-19 pandemic) and other facts and circumstances related to the applicable tenants. If the collection of substantially all of the future lease payments is less than probable, we recorded a reserve of the receivable balances associated with the lease and cease to recognize lease income, including straight-line rent, unless cash is received when due.

The following table summarizes reserves recorded as a reduction of rental revenue (dollars in millions):

	Three months ended September 30,				Nine months ended September 30,
	2020		2019		2020		2019
Rental revenue reserves	$	21.8	$	0.3	$	29.3	$	1.2
Straight-line rent reserves	2.3		0.1		5.1		1.5
Total rental revenue reserves	$	24.1	$	0.4	$	34.4	$	2.7

As of September 30, 2020, other than the information related to the reserves recorded to date, we do not have any further tenant specific information that would change our assessment that collection of substantially all of the future lease payments under our existing leases is probable. However, since the conversations regarding rent collections for tenants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are ongoing and we do not currently know the types of future concessions, if any, that will ultimately be granted, there may be impacts in future periods that could change this assessment as the situation continues to evolve and as more information becomes available. We also evaluated certain properties impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic for impairment (see note 14).

Reclassification

During the first nine months of 2020, we reclassified 'Real estate held for sale, net', which was previously presented in 'Net real estate', into a new caption entitled 'Real estate and lease intangibles held for sale, net'. The reclassification out of 'Net real estate' incorporates intangibles held for sale into a more appropriate presentation of the held for sale caption. Intangibles held for investment are included in the captions entitled 'Lease intangible assets, net' and 'Lease intangible liabilities, net' in the consolidated balance sheets. The December 31, 2019 balance sheet has been reclassified to match the current period classification.