Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements of EQC have been prepared without audit.  Certain information and footnote disclosures required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, for complete financial statements have been condensed or omitted.  We believe the disclosures made are adequate to make the information presented not misleading.  However, the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K (Annual Report) for the year ended December 31, 2016.  Capitalized terms used, but not defined in this Quarterly Report, have the same meanings as in our Annual Report.

In the opinion of our management, all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation, have been included.  All intercompany transactions and balances with or among our subsidiaries have been eliminated.  Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year.  Reclassifications have been made to the prior years’ financial statements to conform to the current year’s presentation.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.  Significant estimates in the condensed consolidated financial statements include the allowance for doubtful accounts, purchase price allocations, useful lives of fixed assets and impairment of real estate and intangible assets.

Share amounts are presented in whole numbers, except where noted.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2017-01, Clarifying the Definition of a Business, that changes the definition of a business to assist entities with evaluating when a set of transferred assets and activities is a business. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and for interim periods within those fiscal years. We early adopted this ASU effective January 1, 2017, and the adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash, which amends FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 230, Statements of Cash Flows, to add or clarify guidance on the classification and presentation of restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and for interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. We do not expect that the adoption of this ASU will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which addresses eight specific cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the existing diversity in practice. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and for interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. We do not expect that the adoption of this ASU will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which requires more timely recognition of credit losses associated with financial assets. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and for interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018. We are currently in the process of evaluating the impact, if any, the adoption of this ASU will have on our consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases, which sets out the principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases for both parties to a contract (i.e., lessees and lessors). ASU 2016-02 requires lessees to apply a dual approach, classifying leases as either finance or operating leases based on the principle of whether or not the lease is effectively a financed purchase of the leased asset by the lessee. This classification will determine whether the lease expense is recognized based on an effective interest method or on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. A lessee is also required to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all leases with a term of greater than 12 months regardless of their classification. Leases with a term of 12 months or less will be accounted for similar to existing guidance for operating leases today. ASU 2016-02 supersedes previous leasing standards. ASU 2016-02 is effective for us for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. We are still assessing the impact of adopting ASU 2016-02. For leases where we are the lessor, we expect to account for these leases using an approach that is substantially equivalent to current guidance. However, we expect that certain executory and non-lease components (such as common area maintenance), will need to be accounted for separately from the lease component of the lease with the lease component continuing to be recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We intend to account for the executory and non-lease components under the new revenue recognition guidance in ASU 2014-09, upon our adoption of ASU 2016-02. When the revenue for such activities is not separately stipulated in the lease, we will need to separate the lease components of revenue due under leases from the non-lease components. For leases in which we are the lessee, we expect to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability equal to the present value of the minimum lease payments with rent expense being recognized on a straight-line basis and the right of use asset being reduced when lease payments are made. Subsequent to initial recognition, the lease liability will be re-measured based on the present value of the remaining lease payments with an offset to the right-of-use asset.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The objective of ASU 2014-09, as amended, is to establish a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and will supersede most of the existing revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The core principle is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In applying ASU 2014-09, companies will perform a five-step analysis of transactions to determine when and how revenue is recognized. ASU 2014-09 applies to all contracts with customers except those that are within the scope of other topics in the FASB’s ASC, and more particularly lease contracts with customers, which are a scope exception. ASU 2014-09 is effective for the first interim period within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. While our consideration of this matter is ongoing, we are not planning to early adopt ASU 2014-09, as amended, and we expect to use the modified retrospective method of adoption that will result in a cumulative effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. We are currently conducting our evaluation of the impact of the guidance. We believe the effects on our existing accounting policies will be associated with our non-leasing revenue components, specifically the amount, timing and presentation of tenant expense reimbursements revenue. We continue to evaluate the potential impact to our consolidated financial statements as a result of this ASU.

Marketable Securities

All of our marketable securities are classified as available-for-sale and consist of United States Treasury notes, which mature in 2019, and common stock. Available-for-sale securities are presented on our condensed consolidated balance sheets at fair value. Changes in values of these securities are recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss. Realized gains and losses are recognized in earnings only upon the sale of the securities.

We evaluate our marketable securities for impairment each reporting period. For securities with unrealized losses, we review the underlying cause of the decline in value and the estimated recovery period, as well as the severity and duration of the decline. In our evaluation, we consider our ability and intent to hold these investments for a reasonable period of time sufficient for us to recover our cost basis. To the extent an other-than-temporary impairment is deemed to have occurred, an impairment charge is recorded and a new cost basis is established.