
2.	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

Due to the Company’s ability as general partner to control either through ownership or by contract the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries, the Operating Partnership and each such subsidiary has been consolidated with the Company for financial reporting purposes, except for three unconsolidated operating properties and our military housing properties.

Real Estate Assets and Depreciation of Investment in Real Estate

An acquiring entity is required to recognize all assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a transaction at the acquisition-date fair value with limited exceptions. In addition, an acquiring entity is required to expense acquisition-related costs as incurred, value noncontrolling interests at fair value at the acquisition date and expense restructuring costs associated with an acquired business.

The Company allocates the purchase price of properties to net tangible and identified intangible assets acquired based on their fair values. In making estimates of fair values for purposes of allocating purchase price, the Company utilizes a number of sources, including independent appraisals that may be obtained in connection with the acquisition or financing of the respective property, our own analysis of recently acquired and existing comparable properties in our portfolio and other market data. The Company also considers information obtained about each property as a result of its pre-acquisition due diligence, marketing and leasing activities in estimating the fair value of the tangible and intangible assets/liabilities acquired. The Company allocates the purchase price of acquired real estate to various components as follows:


•	Land – Based on actual purchase price adjusted to fair value (as necessary) if acquired separately or market research/comparables if acquired with an operating property.


•	Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment – Ranges between $10,000 and $25,000 per apartment unit acquired as an estimate of the fair value of the appliances and fixtures inside an apartment unit. The per-apartment unit amount applied depends on the economic age of the apartment building acquired. Depreciation is calculated on the straight-line method over an estimated useful life of five to ten years.

•

Lease Intangibles – The Company considers the value of acquired in-place leases and above/below market leases and the amortization period is the average remaining term of each respective acquired lease. In-place residential leases' average term at acquisition approximates six months. In-place retail leases' term at acquisition approximates the average remaining term of all acquired retail leases. See Note 4 for more information on above and below market leases.


•	Other Intangible Assets – The Company considers whether it has acquired other intangible assets, including any customer relationship intangibles and the amortization period is the estimated useful life of the acquired intangible asset.


•	Building – Based on the fair value determined on an “as-if vacant” basis. Depreciation is calculated on the straight-line method over an estimated useful life of thirty years.


•	Site Improvements – Based on replacement cost, which approximates fair value. Depreciation is calculated on the straight-line method over an estimated useful life of eight years.


•	Long-Term Debt – The Company calculates the fair value by discounting the remaining contractual cash flows on each instrument at the current market rate for those borrowings.

Replacements inside an apartment unit such as appliances and carpeting are depreciated over an estimated useful life of five to ten years. Expenditures for ordinary maintenance and repairs are expensed to operations as incurred and significant renovations and improvements that improve and/or extend the useful life of the asset are capitalized over their estimated useful life, generally five to fifteen years. Initial direct leasing costs are expensed as incurred as such expense approximates the deferral and amortization of initial direct leasing costs over the lease terms. Property sales or dispositions are recorded when title transfers to unrelated third parties, contingencies have been removed and sufficient cash consideration has been received by the Company. Upon disposition, the related costs and accumulated depreciation are removed from the respective accounts. Any gain or loss on sale is recognized in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

The Company classifies real estate assets as real estate held for sale when it is probable a property will be disposed of (see below and Note 4 for further discussion).

The Company classifies properties under development and/or expansion and properties in the lease-up phase (including land) as construction-in-progress until construction has been completed and certificates of occupancy permits have been obtained.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company periodically evaluates its long-lived assets, including its investments in real estate, for indicators of impairment. The judgments regarding the existence of impairment indicators are based on factors such as operational performance, market conditions and legal and environmental concerns, as well as the Company’s ability to hold and its intent with regard to each asset. Future events could occur which would cause the Company to conclude that impairment indicators exist and an impairment loss is warranted. If impairment indicators exist, the Company performs the following:

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For long-lived assets to be held and used, the Company compares the expected future undiscounted cash flows for the long-lived asset against the carrying amount of that asset. If the sum of the estimated undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset, the Company would record an impairment loss for the difference between the estimated fair value and the carrying amount of the asset.

▪

For long-lived assets to be disposed of, an impairment loss is recognized when the estimated fair value of the asset, less the estimated cost to sell, is less than the carrying amount of the asset measured at the time that the Company has determined it will sell the asset. Long-lived assets held for sale and the related liabilities are separately reported, with the long-lived assets reported at the lower of their carrying amounts or their estimated fair values, less their costs to sell, and are not depreciated after reclassification to real estate held for sale.

Cost Capitalization

See the Real Estate Assets and Depreciation of Investment in Real Estate section for a discussion of the Company’s policy with respect to capitalization vs. expensing of fixed asset/repair and maintenance costs. In addition, the Company capitalizes an allocation of the payroll and associated costs of employees directly responsible for and who spend their time on the execution and supervision of major capital and/or renovation projects. These costs are reflected on the balance sheets as increases to depreciable property.

For all development projects, the Company uses its professional judgment in determining whether such costs meet the criteria for capitalization or must be expensed as incurred. The Company capitalizes interest, real estate taxes and insurance and payroll and associated costs for those individuals directly responsible for and who spend their time on development activities, with capitalization ceasing no later than 90 days following issuance of the certificate of occupancy. These costs are reflected on the balance sheets as construction-in-progress for each specific property. The Company expenses as incurred all payroll costs of on-site employees working directly at our properties, except as noted above on our development properties prior to certificate of occupancy issuance and on specific major renovations at selected properties when additional incremental employees are hired.

During the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company capitalized $22.3 million, $22.4 million and $16.5 million, respectively, of payroll and associated costs of employees directly responsible for and who spend their time on the execution and supervision of development activities as well as major capital and/or renovation projects.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all demand deposits, money market accounts and investments in certificates of deposit and repurchase agreements purchased with a maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. The Company maintains its cash and cash equivalents at financial institutions. The combined account balances at one or more institutions typically exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance coverage, and, as a result, there is a concentration of credit risk related to amounts on deposit in excess of FDIC insurance coverage. The Company believes that the risk is not significant, as the Company does not anticipate the financial institutions’ non-performance.

Investment Securities

Investment securities are included in other assets in the consolidated balance sheets. These securities are classified as held-to-maturity and carried at amortized cost if management has the positive intent and ability to hold the securities to maturity. Otherwise, the securities are classified as available-for-sale and carried at estimated fair value with unrealized gains and losses included in accumulated other comprehensive (loss), a separate component of shareholders’ equity/partners' capital. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company did not hold any investment securities.

Deferred Financing Costs

Deferred financing costs include fees and costs incurred to obtain the Company’s line of credit and long-term financings. These costs are amortized over the terms of the related debt. Unamortized financing costs are written off when debt is retired before the maturity date. The accumulated amortization of such deferred financing costs was $45.4 million and $37.7 million at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Including Derivative Instruments

The valuation of financial instruments requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the fair value of the instruments. The Company, where possible, bases the fair values of its financial instruments, including its derivative instruments, on listed market prices and third party quotes. Where these are not available, the Company bases its estimates on current instruments with similar terms and maturities or on other factors relevant to the financial instruments.

In the normal course of business, the Company is exposed to the effect of interest rate changes. The Company seeks to manage these risks by following established risk management policies and procedures including the use of derivatives to hedge interest rate risk on debt instruments. The Company may also use derivatives to manage its exposure to foreign exchange rates or manage commodity prices in the daily operations of the business.

The Company has a policy of only entering into contracts with major financial institutions based upon their credit ratings and other factors. When viewed in conjunction with the underlying and offsetting exposure that the derivatives are designed to hedge, the Company has not sustained a material loss from these instruments nor does it anticipate any material adverse effect on its net income or financial position in the future from the use of derivatives it currently has in place.

The Company recognizes all derivatives as either assets or liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets and measures those instruments at fair value. In addition, fair value adjustments will affect either shareholders’ equity/partners' capital or net income depending on whether the derivative instruments qualify as a hedge for accounting purposes and, if so, the nature of the hedging activity. When the terms of an underlying transaction are modified, or when the underlying transaction is terminated or completed, all changes in the fair value of the instrument are marked-to-market with changes in value included in net income each period until the instrument matures. Any derivative instrument used for risk management that does not meet the hedging criteria is marked-to-market each period. The Company does not use derivatives for trading or speculative purposes.

Revenue Recognition

Rental income attributable to residential leases is recorded on a straight-line basis, which is not materially different than if it were recorded when due from residents and recognized monthly as it was earned. Leases entered into between a resident and a property for the rental of an apartment unit are generally year-to-year, renewable upon consent of both parties on an annual or monthly basis. Rental income attributable to retail/commercial leases is also recorded on a straight-line basis. Retail/commercial leases generally have five to ten year lease terms with market based renewal options. Fee and asset management revenue and interest income are recorded on an accrual basis.

Share-Based Compensation

The Company expenses share-based compensation such as restricted shares, restricted units and share options. Any common share of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value per share (the "Common Shares") issued pursuant to EQR's incentive equity compensation and employee share purchase plans will result in ERPOP issuing units of partnership interest ("OP Units") to EQR on a one-for-one basis, with ERPOP receiving the net cash proceeds of such issuances. See Note 12 for further discussion.

The fair value of the option grants are recognized over the requisite service/vesting period of the options. The fair value for the Company's share options was estimated at the time the share options were granted using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the primary grant in each year having the following weighted average assumptions:



	2015	2014	2013
Expected volatility (1)	26.6%	27.0%	26.9%
Expected life (2)	5 years	5 years	5 years
Expected dividend yield (3)	3.13%	3.78%	4.12%
Risk-free interest rate (4)	1.29%	1.50%	0.84%
Option valuation per share	$13.68	$9.12	$7.90


(1)	Expected volatility – Estimated based on the historical ten-year volatility of EQR’s share price measured on a monthly basis.


(2)	Expected life – Approximates the actual weighted average life of all share options granted since the Company went public in 1993.


(3)	Expected dividend yield – Calculated by averaging the historical annual yield on EQR shares for a period matching the expected life of each grant, with the annual yield calculated by dividing actual dividends by the average price of EQR’s shares in a given year.


(4)	Risk-free interest rate – The most current U.S. Treasury rate available prior to the grant date for a period matching the expected life of each grant.

The valuation method and assumptions are the same as those the Company used in accounting for option expense in its consolidated financial statements. The Black-Scholes option valuation model was developed for use in estimating the fair value of traded options that have no vesting restrictions and are fully transferable. This model is only one method of valuing options. Because the Company’s share options have characteristics significantly different from those of traded options, and because changes in the subjective input assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate, the actual value of the options to the recipient may be significantly different.

Income and Other Taxes

Due to the structure of EQR as a REIT and the nature of the operations of its operating properties, no provision for federal income taxes has been made at the EQR level. In addition, ERPOP generally is not liable for federal income taxes as the partners recognize their proportionate share of income or loss in their tax returns; therefore no provision for federal income taxes has been made at the ERPOP level. Historically, the Company has generally only incurred certain state and local income, excise and franchise taxes. The Company has elected Taxable REIT Subsidiary (“TRS”) status for certain of its corporate subsidiaries and as a result, these entities will incur both federal and state income taxes on any taxable income of such entities after consideration of any net operating losses.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities applicable to the TRS are recognized for future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. These assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates for which the temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effects of changes in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized in earnings in the period enacted. The Company’s deferred tax assets are generally the result of tax affected suspended interest deductions, net operating losses, differing depreciable lives on capitalized assets and the timing of expense recognition for certain accrued liabilities. As of December 31, 2015, the Company has recorded a deferred tax asset of approximately $40.8 million, which is fully offset by a valuation allowance due to the uncertainty of realization.

The Company provided for income, franchise and excise taxes allocated as follows in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 (amounts in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015		2014		2013
Income and other tax expense (benefit) (1)	$	917	$	1,394	$	1,169
Discontinued operations, net (2)	15		8		449
Provision for income, franchise and excise taxes (3)	$	932	$	1,402	$	1,618


(1)	Primarily includes state and local income, excise and franchise taxes.

(2)

Primarily represents state and local income, excise and franchise taxes on operating properties sold prior to January 1, 2014 and included in discontinued operations. The amounts included in discontinued operations for the years ending December 31, 2015 and 2014 represent trailing activity for properties sold in 2013 and prior years. None of the properties sold during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 met the new criteria for reporting discontinued operations.


(3)	All provisions for income tax amounts are current and none are deferred.

The Company’s TRSs have approximately $19.4 million of net operating loss ("NOL") carryforwards available as of January 1, 2016 that will expire between 2030 and 2032.

During the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company’s tax treatment of dividends and distributions were as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015		2014		2013
Tax treatment of dividends and distributions:
Ordinary dividends	$	1.591	$	1.475	$	0.662
Qualified dividends	0.037		0.088		0.050
Long-term capital gain	0.443		0.280		0.870
Unrecaptured section 1250 gain	0.139		0.157		0.268
Dividends and distributions declared per
Common Share/Unit outstanding	$	2.210	$	2.000	$	1.850

The unaudited cost of land and depreciable property, net of accumulated depreciation, for federal income tax purposes as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 was approximately $17.0 billion and $16.7 billion, respectively.

Noncontrolling Interests

A noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary (minority interest) is in most cases an ownership interest in the consolidated entity that should be reported as equity in the consolidated financial statements and separate from the parent company's equity. In addition, consolidated net income is required to be reported at amounts that include the amounts attributable to both the parent and the noncontrolling interest and the amount of consolidated net income attributable to the parent and the noncontrolling interest are required to be disclosed on the face of the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. See Note 3 for further discussion.

Operating Partnership: Net income is allocated to noncontrolling interests based on their respective ownership percentage of the Operating Partnership. The ownership percentage is calculated by dividing the number of OP Units held by the noncontrolling interests by the total OP Units held by the noncontrolling interests and EQR. Issuance of additional Common Shares and OP Units changes the ownership interests of both the noncontrolling interests and EQR. Such transactions and the related proceeds are treated as capital transactions.

Partially Owned Properties: The Company reflects noncontrolling interests in partially owned properties on the balance sheet for the portion of properties consolidated by the Company that are not wholly owned by the Company. The earnings or losses from those properties attributable to the noncontrolling interests are generally based on ownership percentage and are reflected as noncontrolling interests in partially owned properties in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.

Partners' Capital

The "Limited Partners" of ERPOP include various individuals and entities that contributed their properties to ERPOP in exchange for OP Units. The "General Partner" of ERPOP is EQR. Net income is allocated to the Limited Partners based on their respective ownership percentage of ERPOP. The ownership percentage is calculated by dividing the number of OP Units held by the Limited Partners by the total OP Units held by the Limited Partners and the General Partner. Issuance of additional Common Shares and OP Units changes the ownership interests of both the Limited Partners and EQR. Such transactions and the related proceeds are treated as capital transactions.

Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests – Operating Partnership / Redeemable Limited Partners

The Company classifies Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests – Operating Partnership / Redeemable Limited Partners in the mezzanine section of the consolidated balance sheets for the portion of OP Units that EQR is required, either by contract or securities law, to deliver registered Common Shares to the exchanging OP Unit holder. The redeemable noncontrolling interest units / redeemable limited partner units are adjusted to the greater of carrying value or fair market value based on the Common Share price of EQR at the end of each respective reporting period. See Note 3 for further discussion.

Use of Estimates

In preparation of the Company’s financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, management makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications considered necessary for a fair presentation have been made to the prior period financial statements in order to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications have not changed the results of operations or equity/capital.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the "FASB") issued a comprehensive new revenue recognition standard entitled Revenue from Contracts with Customers that will supersede nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance. The new standard specifically excludes lease revenue. The new standard’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Companies will likely need to use more judgment and make more estimates than under current revenue recognition guidance. These may include identifying performance obligations in the contract, estimating the amount of variable consideration, if any, to include in the transaction price and allocating the transaction price to each separate performance obligation. The new standard will be effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2018 and early adoption will be permitted beginning on January 1, 2017. The new standard may be applied retrospectively to each prior period presented or prospectively with the cumulative effect recognized as of the date of adoption. The Company has not yet selected a transition method and is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the new standard on its consolidated results of operations and financial position.

In August 2014, the FASB issued a new standard that will explicitly require management to assess an entity's ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related footnote disclosures in certain circumstances. In connection with each annual and interim period, management will assess whether there is substantial doubt about an entity's ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the issuance date. Disclosures will be required if conditions give rise to substantial doubt. However, to determine the specific disclosures, management will need to assess whether its plans will alleviate substantial doubt. The new standard is effective for the annual period ending after December 15, 2016 and for interim periods thereafter. The Company does not expect that this will have a material effect on its consolidated results of operations or financial position.

In February 2015, the FASB issued new consolidation guidance which makes changes to both the variable interest model and the voting model. Among other changes, the new standard specifically eliminates the presumption in the current voting model that a general partner controls a limited partnership or similar entity unless that presumption can be overcome. Generally, only a single limited partner that is able to exercise substantive kick-out rights will consolidate. The Company adopted the new standard as required effective January 1, 2016. While adoption of the new standard did not result in any changes to conclusions about whether a joint venture was consolidated or unconsolidated, the Company has determined that certain of its joint ventures will now qualify as variable interest entities and therefore will require additional disclosures.

In April 2015, the FASB issued a new standard which requires companies to present debt financing costs as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the associated debt liability rather than as an asset, consistent with the presentation of debt discounts on the consolidated balance sheets. Companies will be permitted to present debt issuance costs related to line of credit arrangements as an asset and amortize these costs over the term of the arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the arrangement. The new standard must be applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the consolidated financial statements. The Company adopted this standard as required effective January 1, 2016 and other than presentation on the consolidated balance sheets, it did not have a material effect on its consolidated results of operations or financial position.

In January 2016, the FASB issued a new standard which requires companies to measure all equity securities with readily determinable fair values at fair value on the balance sheet, with changes in fair value recognized in net income. The new standard will be effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2018. The Company does not expect that this will have a material effect on its consolidated results of operations or financial position.

Other

The Company is the controlling partner in various consolidated partnerships owning 19 properties and 3,771 apartment units having a noncontrolling interest book value of $4.6 million at December 31, 2015. The Company is required to make certain disclosures regarding noncontrolling interests in consolidated limited-life subsidiaries. Of the consolidated entities described above, the Company is the controlling partner in limited-life partnerships owning six properties having a noncontrolling interest deficit balance of $11.5 million. These six partnership agreements contain provisions that require the partnerships to be liquidated through the sale of their assets upon reaching a date specified in each respective partnership agreement. The Company, as controlling partner, has an obligation to cause the property owning partnerships to distribute the proceeds of liquidation to the Noncontrolling Interests in these Partially Owned Properties only to the extent that the net proceeds received by the partnerships from the sale of their assets warrant a distribution based on the partnership agreements. As of December 31, 2015, the Company estimates the value of Noncontrolling Interest distributions for these six properties would have been approximately $75.1 million (“Settlement Value”) had the partnerships been liquidated. This Settlement Value is based on estimated third party consideration realized by the partnerships upon disposition of the six Partially Owned Properties and is net of all other assets and liabilities, including yield maintenance on the mortgages encumbering the properties, that would have been due on December 31, 2015 had those mortgages been prepaid. Due to, among other things, the inherent uncertainty in the sale of real estate assets, the amount of any potential distribution to the Noncontrolling Interests in the Company's Partially Owned Properties is subject to change. To the extent that the partnerships' underlying assets are worth less than the underlying liabilities, the Company has no obligation to remit any consideration to the Noncontrolling Interests in these Partially Owned Properties.