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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

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 any unconsolidated properties/entities.

Real Estate Assets And Depreciation Of Investment In Real Estate

Real Estate Assets and Depreciation of Investment in Real Estate

The Company expects that substantially all of its acquisitions will be accounted for as asset acquisitions. In an asset acquisition, the Company is required to capitalize transaction costs and allocate the purchase price on a relative fair value basis (including any identified intangible assets). For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, all acquisitions were considered asset acquisitions.

In making estimates of relative 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 or developed 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 relative 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 an allocation of the relative fair value (as necessary) if acquired separately or market research/comparables if acquired with an operating property.

•

Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment – Based on an estimate of the allocation of the relative 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 units 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.

•

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 allocation of the relative 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.

•

Long-Term Debt – The Company calculates the allocation of the relative 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 building 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.

The Company classifies real estate assets as real estate held for sale when it is probable a property will be disposed of. 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

At least quarterly, the Company evaluates its long-lived assets, including its investment 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, legal, regulatory and environmental concerns, the Company’s intent and ability to hold the related asset, as well as any significant cost overruns on development properties. Future events could occur which would cause the Company to conclude that impairment indicators exist and an impairment loss is warranted. If an impairment indicator exists, the Company performs the following:

•

For long-lived operating 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 make an estimate of the fair value for the particular asset and would record an impairment loss for the difference between the estimated fair value and the carrying amount of the asset. In determining the future undiscounted cash flows or the estimated fair value of an asset there is judgment in estimating the expected future rental revenues, operating expenses and discount and capitalization rates.

•

For long-lived non-operating assets (projects under development and land held for development), management evaluates major cost overruns, market conditions that could affect lease-up projections, intent and ability to hold the asset, and any other indicators of impairment. If any of the indicators were to suggest impairment was present, a recoverability analysis would be performed and the carrying value of the asset would be adjusted accordingly to fair value.

•

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.

See Note 4 for further discussion of the Company’s impairment charge on a land parcel in 2021.

Impairment of Investments in Unconsolidated Entities and Other Investments

At least quarterly, the Company evaluates its investments in unconsolidated entities and other investments for indicators of other than temporary impairment, considering whether there has been a change to events or circumstances that would impact recoverability of the Company’s investment as well as any changes with regards to the Company's intent and ability to hold the investment to recover its carrying value.

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. For all development, capital and renovation 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, as well as payroll for those individuals directly responsible for and who spend their time on the execution and supervision of development activities. Additionally, the Company capitalizes payroll for those individuals directly responsible for and who spend their time on the execution and supervision of major capital and/or renovation projects. Capitalization ends when the asset, or a portion of the asset, is substantially completed and ready for its intended use. These costs are reflected on the balance sheets as increases to depreciable property and/or construction-in-progress.

During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company capitalized $15.6 million and $13.9 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 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 Deposit 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.

Fair Value of Financial 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 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 may seek 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 commodity prices in the daily operations of the business.

The Company has a policy of only entering into derivative 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.

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. See Note 10 for additional derivatives discussion.

Leases and Revenue Recognition

Rental income attributable to residential leases is recorded on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease when reasonably assured they are collectible, which is not materially different than if it were recorded when due from residents and recognized monthly as it was earned. Residential apartment leases may include lease income related to such items as utility recoveries, parking rent, storage rent and pet rent that the Company treats as a single lease component because the amenities cannot be leased on their own and the timing and pattern of revenue recognition are the same. 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 non-residential leases is also recorded on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease when reasonably assured they are collectible. Non-residential leases may include lease income related to such items as utility recoveries, parking rent and storage rent that the Company treats as a single lease component because the amenities cannot be leased on their own and the timing and pattern of revenue recognition are the same. Non-residential leases generally have five to ten year lease terms with market-based renewal options and consist of ground floor retail spaces and master-leased parking garages that serve as additional amenities for our residents.

The majority of the Company’s revenue is derived from residential, non-residential and other lease income. Our revenue streams have the same timing and pattern of revenue recognition across our reportable segments, with consistent allocations between the lease and revenue recognition standards. The Company elected an accounting policy to account for both its lease and non-lease components (specifically common area maintenance charges) as a single lease component under the lease standard.

The Company is a lessor for its residential and non-residential leases and is a lessee for its corporate headquarters and regional offices and ground leases for land underlying current operating properties or projects under development. If applicable, lease agreements must be evaluated to determine the accounting treatment as a finance or operating lease in accordance with the lease standard.

The lease standard also requires lessees to recognize on the balance sheet: (a) a liability for the lease obligation (initially measured at the present value of the future lease payments not yet paid over the lease term); and (b) an asset for its right to use the underlying asset (initially equal to the lease liability). The Company uses estimates and judgments on the discount rate used to calculate the present value of the future lease payments. The Company uses its incremental borrowing rate as the discount rate because the Company typically cannot readily determine the rate implicit in the lease. Since the Company’s credit backs the corporate office lease obligations and the lease terms are generally ten years or less, the discount rate range was estimated by using the Company’s borrowing rates for actual pricing data. The discount rate range for ground leases takes into account various factors, including the longer life of the ground leases, and was estimated by using the Company’s borrowing rates for actual pricing data through 30 years and other long-term market rates.

The Company’s revenue streams that are not accounted for under the lease standard include:

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Parking revenue – The Company’s parking revenue, not related to leasing, is derived primarily from monthly and transient daily parking and is accounted for at the point in time when control of the goods or services transfers to the customer and our performance obligation is satisfied.

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Other rental and non-rental related revenue – The Company receives other income, including, but not limited to: (a) ancillary income, such as laundry, renters insurance and cable income; (b) net settlement income; and (c) miscellaneous fee income.

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Fee and asset management revenue and interest income – The Company’s fee and asset management revenue and interest income are recorded on an accrual basis.

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Gains or losses on sales of real estate properties – The Company accounts for the sale of real estate properties and any related gain recognition in accordance with the accounting guidance applicable to sales of real estate, which establishes standards for recognition of profit on all real estate sales transactions. The Company recognizes the sale and associated gain or loss from the disposition when control transfers to unrelated third parties, contingencies have been removed and sufficient cash consideration has been received by the Company.

See Note 8 for the Company’s rental income detail allocated between the lease and revenue recognition standards.

The Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts (which offsets accounts receivable and is included within other assets on the consolidated balance sheets) and bad debts (which reduce rental income on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income) have historically been very modest, particularly in our residential business, given the quality of our resident base and asset class. However, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic and extended eviction moratoriums enacted during the pandemic, the allowance for doubtful accounts and bad debts became elevated during 2020 and remained elevated in 2021 and 2022. In accordance with the lease standard, if we determine the lease payments are not probable of collection (based on known troubled accounts, rent deferral plans granted, historical experience and other currently available evidence), we fully reserve for any unpaid amounts, deferred rent receivable, variable lease payments and straight-line receivable balances and recognize rental income only if cash is received. If the Company’s estimates of collectibility differ from the cash received, then the timing and amount of the Company’s reported revenue could be impacted. See Note 8 for additional details.

Share-Based Compensation

The Company expenses share-based compensation for employee and trustee grants of 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.

Income and Other Taxes

EQR has elected to be taxed as a REIT. This, along with the nature of the operations of its operating properties, resulted in no provision for federal income taxes at the EQR level. In addition, ERPOP generally is not liable for federal income taxes as the partners should recognize their allocable 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 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.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) included tax provisions which increased allowable interest expense deductions for 2020 (no increases for 2021 and 2022) and increased the ability for taxpayers to use net operating losses. These provisions did not result in a material impact to the Company’s taxable income or tax liabilities.

The CARES Act also allowed corporations to request accelerated refunds of their alternative minimum tax (“AMT”) credit. Prior to enactment of this provision, the remaining credits would have been refunded in installments in 2020, 2021 and 2022. We received a refund of our remaining $1.6 million in AMT credits during the year ended December 31, 2020.

The Company’s provision for income and other tax expense (benefit) was as follows for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 (amounts in thousands):


	Year Ended December 31,
	2022		2021		2020
State and local income, franchise and excise tax (benefit)	$	900	$	915	$	852
Income and other tax expense (benefit) (1)	$	900	$	915	$	852

(1)

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

During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, the tax character of the Company’s dividends and distributions were as follows:


	Year Ended December 31,
	2022 (1)		2021 (2)		2020 (3)
Tax character of dividends and distributions:
Ordinary dividends	$	1.75466	$	1.40791	$	1.34739
Long-term capital gain		0.42850		0.73687		0.77923
Unrecaptured section 1250 gain		0.29434		0.26522		0.24838
Dividends and distributions per
Common Share/Unit outstanding	$	2.47750	$	2.41000	$	2.37500

(1)

The Company’s fourth quarter 2022 dividends and distributions of $0.625 per Common Share/Unit outstanding will be included as taxable income in calendar year 2023.

(2)

The Company’s fourth quarter 2021 dividends and distributions of $0.6025 per Common Share/Unit outstanding was included as taxable income in calendar year 2022.

(3)

The Company’s fourth quarter 2020 dividends and distributions of $0.6025 per Common Share/Unit outstanding was included as taxable income in calendar year 2021.

The Company issued Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Form 1099-DIV to shareholders to report the tax character of Company distributions consistent with these amounts. The Company provides additional information to assist shareholders in the preparation of their tax returns. For 2022, the Company reported an AMT preference adjustment equal to $(0.01) per share and disclosed amounts defined under Treasury Regulation §1.1061-6(c) as “One Year Amounts Disclosure” and “Three Year Amounts Disclosure” equal to $0.00979 per share and $0.00000 per share, respectively.

Principals of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation

The Company may hold an interest in subsidiaries, partnerships, joint ventures and other similar entities and accounts for these interests in accordance with the consolidation guidance. The Company first determines whether to consolidate the entity as a variable interest entity (“VIE”) or voting interest entity, or to account for the interest under the equity method of accounting as an unconsolidated entity. In situations in which we have concluded that an entity qualifies as a VIE, it is generally because the equity investors of VIEs do not have sufficient equity at risk to finance their activities without additional subordinated financial support or do not have substantive voting rights. The Company consolidates an entity when it is considered to be the primary beneficiary of the VIE or when it controls the entity through ownership of a majority voting interest. A primary beneficiary has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s performance and has the obligation to absorb the expected losses or the right to receive the expected residual returns that could potentially be significant to the VIE. In evaluating whether the entity is a VIE and/or the Company is the primary beneficiary of the entity, the Company considers several factors, including, but not limited to, proportionate share or ownership of the VIE, funding and financing sources, the business purpose of the entity, related parties, developer and property management fees and agreement terms regarding major decisions, participating and voting rights, contributions and distributions.

Investments in Unconsolidated Entities

The Company accounts for investments in unconsolidated entities under the equity method of accounting and measures the investments initially at cost. The Company subsequently adjusts the carrying amount by additional cash and non-cash contributions and distributions and its proportionate share of the earnings and losses of such entities. The proportionate share of the earnings and losses are also recognized in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. In addition, we may earn fees for providing property management services or construction oversight.

Noncontrolling Interests

A noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary (minority interest) is 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.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an amendment to the debt and equity financial instruments standards which simplifies the accounting for convertible instruments and accounting for contracts in an entity’s own equity. The Company adopted the standard when effective on January 1, 2022 and it had no impact on its consolidated results of operations and financial position.

In March 2020, the FASB issued an amendment to the reference rate reform standard which provides the option for a limited period of time to ease the potential burden in accounting for, or recognizing the effects of, reference rate reform on contract modifications and hedge accounting. The new standard was effective for the Company upon issuance and elections could be made through December 31, 2024. The Company elected to apply the hedge accounting expedients and application of these expedients preserves the presentation of derivatives consistent with past presentation. The Company continues to evaluate the impact of the guidance and may apply other elections as applicable as additional changes in the market occur.

In April 2020, a FASB staff question and answer document was issued which intended to reduce the challenges of evaluating the enforceable rights and obligations of leases for concessions granted to lessees in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We elected not to evaluate whether qualifying concessions provided by the Company in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are a lease modification, subject to the criteria that the total payments under the amended lease cannot result in a substantial increase in the rights of the lessor or obligations of the lessee. We also elected to treat the concessions as though they were contemplated as part of the existing contracts and therefore will not apply lease modification rules to the qualifying lease concession amendments. As such, deferrals deemed collectible are recorded as rental receivables with no change to timing of rental revenues and deferrals deemed non-collectible and abatements reduce rental revenues in the deferral/abatement period and cause rental revenues to effectively follow a cash basis related to the changes. The accounting elections provided by the FASB mainly apply to the Company’s non-residential leases and the majority of the amendments will not require a straight-line adjustment. See Note 8 for additional discussion.

In June 2016, the FASB issued a standard which requires companies to adopt a new approach for estimating credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, such as trade and other receivables and loans. The standard requires entities to estimate a lifetime expected credit loss for most financial instruments, including trade receivables. In November 2018, the FASB issued an amendment excluding operating lease receivables accounted for under the lease standard from the scope of the credit losses standard. The Company adopted this standard as required effective January 1, 2020, and it did not have a material effect on its consolidated results of operations and financial position.

Other

The Company is the controlling partner in various consolidated partnerships owning 15 properties consisting of 3,114 apartment units having a noncontrolling interest deficit balance of $0.7 million at December 31, 2022. 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 two properties having a noncontrolling interest deficit balance of $4.9 million. These two 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, 2022, the Company estimates the value of Noncontrolling Interest distributions for these two properties would have been approximately $55.4 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 two 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, 2022 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.