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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
3 Months Ended
Jul. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Litigation.  We are subject to a variety of legal actions for personal injury or property damage arising in the ordinary course of our business, most of which are covered by liability insurance. Various resident claims are also brought periodically, most of which are covered by insurance. While resolution of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes that the final outcome of these claims and  legal proceedings will not have a material effect on our liquidity, financial position, cash flows, or results of operations.
Environmental Matters.  Under various federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, and regulations, a current or previous owner or operator of real estate may be liable for the costs of removal of, or remediation of, certain hazardous or toxic substances in, on, around, or under the property. While we currently have no knowledge of any material violation of environmental laws, ordinances, or regulations at any of our properties, there can be no assurance that areas of contamination will not be identified at any of our properties or that changes in environmental laws, regulations, or cleanup requirements would not result in material costs to us.
Restrictions on Taxable Dispositions.  Twenty-five of our properties, consisting of 4,195 apartment units, are subject to restrictions on our ability to resell in taxable transactions. These restrictions are contained in agreements we entered into with some of the sellers or contributors of the properties and are effective for varying periods. The real estate investment amount of these properties (net of accumulated depreciation) was $548.6 million at July 31, 2018.  We do not believe that these agreements materially affect the conduct of our business or our decisions whether to dispose of restricted properties during the restriction period because we generally hold these and our other properties for investment purposes rather than for sale. In addition, where we deem it to be in our shareholders' best interests to dispose of such properties, we generally seek to structure sale of such properties as tax deferred transactions under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code (the "Code").
If we decide to sell one or more of these properties and are unable to structure sales of such properties as tax deferred transactions under Section 1031 of the Code, we may be required to provide tax indemnification payments to the parties to these agreements.