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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

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 transactions 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. For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, all acquisitions were considered asset acquisitions.

For asset acquisitions, the Company allocates the purchase price of the net tangible and identified intangible assets on a relative fair value basis. 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 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.

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Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment – Ranges between $15,000 and $40,000 per apartment unit acquired as 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. In-place residential leases’ average term at acquisition approximates six months. In-place non-residential leases’ term at acquisition approximates the average remaining term of all acquired non-residential leases. See Note 8 for more information on ground lease intangibles.

•

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. Renovation 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 dispositions are recorded when control 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. 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, 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.

Impairment of Investments in Unconsolidated Entities

At least quarterly, the Company evaluates its investments in unconsolidated entities, including any multifamily real estate assets held by a joint venture, 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, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the Company capitalized $12.1 million, $14.2 million and $13.2 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, 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 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 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.

Leases and 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 non-residential leases is also recorded on a straight-line basis. Non-residential 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.

The majority of the Company’s revenue is derived from residential, non-residential and other lease income, which are accounted for under the lease standard effective January 1, 2019 (discussed below in Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements). Our revenue streams have the same timing and pattern of revenue recognition across our reportable segments, with consistent allocations between the leasing and revenue recognition standards.

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. A lease is classified as a finance lease if it meets any of the following criteria: (a) Ownership of the underlying asset is transferred to the lessee by the end of the lease term; (b) the lessee has and is reasonably certain to exercise an option to purchase the underlying asset; (c) the lease term is for the major part of the remaining economic life of the underlying asset; (d) the present value of future minimum lease payments is equal to substantially all of the fair value of the underlying asset; and (e) the underlying asset is expected to have no alternative use to the lessor at the end of the lease term due to its specialized nature.

The lease standard also requires the recognition on the balance sheet of: (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). See Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements below for additional details regarding the adoption of this standard. Rental revenues are recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease when reasonably assured they are collectible. The Company uses estimates and judgments on the incremental borrowing rate used to calculate the present value of the future lease payments. See Note 8 for additional discussion.

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.

•

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 or collections; and (c) miscellaneous fee income.

•

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, provided that the earnings process is complete and the Company does not have significant continuing involvement. A gain or loss is recognized when the criteria for an asset to be derecognized are met, which include when a contract exists and the buyer obtained control of the nonfinancial asset that was sold.

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 COVID-19 pandemic, the allowance for doubtful accounts and bad debts became elevated during 2020 and will likely remain elevated in 2021. 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 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 (“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.

On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”). The CARES Act was enacted to provide economic relief to companies and individuals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Included in the CARES Act are tax provisions which increase allowable interest expense deductions for 2019 and 2020 and increase 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, 2020, 2019 and 2018 (amounts in thousands):

	Year Ended December 31,
	2020		2019			2018
State and local income, franchise and excise tax (benefit)	$	852	$	963		$	878
Alternative minimum tax credit (benefit) (1)		—		(3,244	)		—
Income and other tax expense (benefit) (2)	$	852	$	(2,281	)	$	878

(1)

As provided in recent tax legislation which repealed the AMT credit on corporations, in 2019 the Company claimed/received $1.6 million of refunds of various AMT credit carryovers generated in prior tax years. The provision originally allowed for carryover amounts to be refunded over four years, with 50% available in the first year. The remaining $1.6 million was received in 2020 as noted above.

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

During the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the tax character of the Company’s dividends and distributions were as follows (unaudited):

	Year Ended December 31,
	2020 (1)		2019 (2)		2018 (3)
Tax character of dividends and distributions:
Ordinary dividends	$	1.34739	$	1.39604	$	1.84454
Long-term capital gain		0.77923		0.61243		0.21423
Unrecaptured section 1250 gain		0.24838		0.23403		0.06498
Dividends and distributions per
Common Share/Unit outstanding	$	2.37500	$	2.24250	$	2.12375

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

(2)	The Company’s fourth quarter 2019 dividends and distributions of $0.5675 per Common Share/Unit outstanding was included as taxable income in calendar year 2020.

(3)	The Company’s fourth quarter 2018 dividends and distributions of $0.54 per Common Share/Unit outstanding was included as taxable income in calendar year 2019.

The unaudited cost of land and depreciable property, net of accumulated depreciation, for federal income tax purposes as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 was approximately $13.8 billion and $13.7 billion, 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 account for the interest under the equity method of accounting. 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 participating rights. The Company consolidates an entity when it is considered to be the primary beneficiary 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, the Company considers several factors, including, but not limited to, funding and financing sources, 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.

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. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, management evaluated whether its estimates, such as lease collectibility (discussed below in Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements) and impairment, required revised approaches and generally concluded that no revisions were necessary at this time.

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.

Recently Issued 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. Instead of being required to assess whether an equity contract permits settlement in unregistered shares, which may require a legal analysis under the securities laws, entities will only analyze whether cash settlements are explicitly required when registered shares are unavailable. As a result, such contracts may be classified in permanent rather than mezzanine equity, which may affect the way the Company’s OP Units are presented on its financial statements. The update is effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2022, but early adoption is allowed beginning January 1, 2021. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the new standard 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. An example of such reform is the expected market transition from the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and other interbank offered rates to alternative reference rates. Entities that make this optional expedient election would not have to remeasure the contracts at the modification date or reassess the accounting treatment if certain criteria are met and would continue applying hedge accounting for relationships affected by reference rate reform. The new standard was effective for the Company upon issuance and elections can be made through December 31, 2022. The Company is currently evaluating its options with regards to existing contracts and hedging relationships and the impact of adopting this update on its consolidated results of operations and financial position.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

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 February 2016, the FASB issued a lease standard which sets out principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases for both parties to a contract (i.e. lessors and lessees). The Company adopted this standard as required effective January 1, 2019 using a modified retrospective method and the Company applied the guidance as of the adoption date and elected certain practical expedients. The standard impacted our consolidated balance sheets but did not impact our consolidated statements of operations. Right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and lease liabilities where the Company is the lessee were recognized for various corporate office leases and ground leases. The Company recorded ROU assets and related lease liabilities to its opening balance sheet upon adoption on January 1, 2019 of $434.2 million and $278.3 million, respectively.

The Company elected the practical expedient to not reassess the classification of existing operating leases. As of January 1, 2019, any new or modified ground leases may be classified as financing leases unless they meet certain conditions. When there is a material lease modification, the Company is required to reassess the classification and remeasure the lease liability.

In July 2018, the FASB issued an amendment to the lease standard, which includes a practical expedient that provides lessors an option not to separate lease and non-lease components when certain criteria are met and instead account for those components as a single component under the lease standard. The amendment also provides a transition option that permits the application of the new guidance as of the adoption date rather than to all periods presented. The Company elected the practical expedient to account for both its lease and non-lease components as a single component under the lease standard and elected the new transition option as of the date of adoption effective January 1, 2019. See Note 8 for additional discussion regarding the lease standard.

In August 2017, the FASB issued a final standard which makes changes to the hedge accounting model to enable entities to better portray their risk management activities in the financial statements. The standard expands an entity’s ability to hedge nonfinancial and financial risk components, reduces complexity in fair value hedges of interest rate risk and eases certain documentation and assessment requirements. The standard also eliminates the requirement to separately measure and report hedge ineffectiveness and generally requires the entire change in the fair value of any hedging instrument to be presented in the same income statement line as the hedged instrument. The Company adopted this standard as required effective January 1, 2019 and it did not have a material effect on its consolidated results of operations and financial position.

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.

In May 2014, the FASB issued a comprehensive revenue recognition standard entitled Revenue from Contracts with Customers that superseded nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance. The standard specifically excludes lease revenue. The standard may be applied retrospectively to each prior period presented or prospectively with the cumulative effect, if any, recognized as of the date of adoption. The Company selected the modified retrospective transition method as of the date of adoption as required effective January 1, 2018. The majority of rental income consists of revenue from leasing arrangements, which is specifically excluded from the standard. The Company analyzed its remaining revenue streams, inclusive of fee and asset management and gains and losses on sales, and concluded these revenue streams have the same timing and pattern of revenue recognition under the new guidance, and therefore the Company had no changes in revenue recognition with the adoption of the standard. As such, adoption of the standard did not result in a cumulative adjustment recognized as of January 1, 2018, and the standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, equity/capital or cash flows.

Additionally, as part of the revenue recognition standard, the FASB issued amendments related to partial sales of real estate. Adoption of the partial sales standard did not result in a change of accounting for the Company related to its disposition process. We concluded that the Company’s typical dispositions will continue to meet the criteria for sale and associated profit recognition under both standards.

Other

The Company is the controlling partner in various consolidated partnerships owning 16 properties consisting of 3,399 apartment units having a noncontrolling interest balance of $4.7 million at December 31, 2020. 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 three properties having a noncontrolling interest deficit balance of $5.5 million. These three 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, 2020, the Company estimates the value of Noncontrolling Interest distributions for these three properties would have been approximately $72.8 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 three 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, 2020 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.