Commitments And Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

14. Commitments and Contingencies

Construction Contracts. As of December 31, 2019, we estimate the additional cost to complete the seven consolidated projects currently under construction to be approximately $358.6 million. We expect to fund this amount through a combination of one or more of the following: cash flows generated from operations, draws on our unsecured credit facility, the use of debt and equity offerings under our automatic shelf registration statement, proceeds from property dispositions, equity issued from our ATM programs, other unsecured borrowings or secured mortgages.

Litigation. We are subject to various legal proceedings and claims which arise in the ordinary course of business. Matters which arise out of allegations of bodily injury, property damage, and employment practices are generally covered by insurance. While the resolution of these legal proceedings and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes the final outcome of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements.

Other Commitments and Contingencies. In the ordinary course of our business, we issue letters of intent indicating a willingness to negotiate for acquisitions, dispositions, or joint ventures and also enter into arrangements contemplating various transactions. Such letters of intent and other arrangements are non-binding as to either party unless and until a definitive contract is entered into by the parties. Even if definitive contracts relating to the purchase or sale of real property are entered into, these contracts generally provide the purchaser with time to evaluate the property and conduct due diligence, during which periods the purchaser will have the ability to terminate the contracts without penalty or forfeiture of any deposit or earnest money. There can be no assurance definitive contracts will be entered into with respect to any matter covered by letters of intent or we will consummate any transaction contemplated by any definitive contract. Furthermore, due diligence periods for real property are frequently extended as needed. An acquisition or sale of real property becomes probable at the time the due diligence period expires and the definitive contract has not been terminated. We are then at risk under a real property acquisition contract, but generally only to the extent of any earnest money deposits associated with the contract, and are obligated to sell under a real property sales contract. At December 31, 2019, we had approximately $0.9 million in refundable earnest money deposits for potential acquisitions of operating properties and land and are included in other assets, net in our consolidated balance sheet. Of this $0.9 million in refundable earnest money deposits, approximately $0.2 million was related to the acquisition of land in Raleigh, North Carolina which was completed in January 2020.

Lease Commitments. Substantially all of our operating leases recorded in our consolidated balance sheets at January 1, 2019 upon adoption of ASC 842 are related to office facility leases. The lease and non-lease components are accounted for as a combined single component based upon the standalone price at the time the applicable lease is commenced and is recognized as a lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Most of our office facility leases include options to renew and generally are not included in the operating lease liabilities or right-of-use ("ROU") assets as they are not reasonably certain of being exercised. If an option to renew is exercised, it would be considered a separate contract and recognized based upon the standalone price at the time the option to renew is exercised. Variable lease payments which values are not known at lease commencement, such as executory costs of real estate taxes, property insurance, and common area maintenance, are expensed as incurred.

As of December 31, 2019, we had no significant leases executed but not yet commenced and did not record any impairment charges related to our ROU assets. The following is a summary of our operating lease related information:



($ in millions)		As of
Balance sheet	Classification	December 31, 2019
Right-of-use assets, net	Other assets, net	$	10.6
Operating lease liabilities	Other liabilities	$	15.0



($ in millions)		Year ended
Statement of income and comprehensive income	Classification	December 31, 2019
Rent expense related to operating lease liabilities	General and administrative expenses and property management expenses	$	2.9
Variable lease expense	General and administrative expenses and property management expenses	$	1.4



($ in millions)		Year ended
Statement of cash flows	Classification	December 31, 2019
Cash flows from operating leases	Net cash from operating activities	$	3.1
Supplemental lease information
Weighted average remaining lease term (years)		5.3
Weighted average discount rate - operating leases (1)		4.9		%


(1)	We use a secured incremental borrowing rate, as defined by ASC 842 based on an estimated secured rate with applicable adjustments, as most of our lease contracts do not provide a readily determinable implicit rate.

The following is a summary of our maturities of our lease liabilities as of December 31, 2019:



(in millions)
Year ended December 31,	Operating Leases
2020	$	3.4
2021	3.2
2022	2.9
2023	2.7
2024	2.8
Thereafter	2.1
Less: discount for time value	(2.1		)
Lease liability as of December 31, 2019	$	15.0

Prior to our adoption of ASU 2016-12, rental expense for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 were approximately $3.8 million and $4.0 million, respectively. Minimum annual rental commitments as of December 31, 2018 for the years ending December 31, 2019 through 2023 were approximately $2.9 million, $3.0 million, $3.1 million, $2.7 million and $2.6 million, respectively, and approximately $4.5 million in the aggregate thereafter.

Investments in Joint Ventures. We have entered into, and may continue in the future to enter into, joint ventures or partnerships (including limited liability companies) through which we own an indirect economic interest in less than 100% of the community or land owned directly by the joint venture or partnership. Our decision whether to hold the entire interest in an apartment community or land ourselves, or to have an indirect interest in the community or land through a joint venture or partnership, is based on a variety of factors and considerations, including: (i) our projection, in some circumstances, that we will achieve higher returns on

our invested capital or reduce our risk if a joint venture or partnership vehicle is used; (ii) our desire to diversify our portfolio of investments by market; (iii) our desire at times to preserve our capital resources to maintain liquidity or balance sheet strength; and (iv) the economic and tax terms required by a seller of land or of a community, who may prefer or who may require less payment if the land or community is contributed to a joint venture or partnership. Investments in joint ventures or partnerships are not limited to a specified percentage of our assets. Each joint venture or partnership agreement is individually negotiated, and our ability to operate or dispose of land or of a community in our sole discretion may be limited to varying degrees in our existing joint venture agreements and may be limited to varying degrees depending on the terms of future joint venture agreements.

Employment Agreements. At December 31, 2019, we had employment agreements with 13 of our senior officers, the terms of which expire at various times through August 20, 2020. Such agreements provide for minimum salary levels as well as various incentive compensation arrangements, which are payable based on the attainment of specific goals. The agreements also provide for severance payments plus a gross-up payment if certain situations occur, such as termination without cause or a change of control. In the case of 10 of the agreements, the severance payment equals one times the respective current annual base salary in the case of termination without cause and 2.99 times the respective average annual base salary over the previous three fiscal years in the case of a change of control and a termination of employment or a material adverse change in the scope of their duties. In the case of one agreement, the severance payment equals one times the respective current annual base salary for termination without cause and 2.99 times the greater of current gross income or average gross income over the previous three fiscal years in the case of a change of control. In the case of the other two agreements, the severance payment generally equals 2.99 times the respective average annual compensation over the previous three fiscal years in connection with, among other things, a termination without cause or a change of control, and the officer would be entitled to receive continuation and vesting of certain benefits in the case of such termination.