COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Litigation.  In the ordinary course of our operations, we become involved in litigation. At this time, we know of no material pending or threatened legal proceedings, or other proceedings contemplated by governmental authorities, that would have a material impact on us.

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 of our properties, consisting of 4,032 apartment homes, are subject to restrictions on taxable dispositions under agreements entered into with some of the sellers or contributors of the properties and are effective for varying periods. We do not believe that the 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 sales of such properties as tax deferred transactions under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. Otherwise, we may be required to provide tax indemnification payments to the parties to these agreements.