Organization, Basis of Presentation, and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Organization and Basis of Presentation

AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (the “Company,” which term, unless the context otherwise requires, refers to AvalonBay Communities, Inc. together with its subsidiaries), is a Maryland corporation that has elected to be treated as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for federal income tax purposes under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”). The Company focuses on the development, redevelopment, acquisition, ownership and operation of multifamily communities primarily in New England, the New York/New Jersey metro area, the Mid-Atlantic, the Pacific Northwest, and Northern and Southern California.

At December 31, 2016, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 258 operating apartment communities containing 74,538 apartment homes in 10 states and the District of Columbia, of which four communities containing 1,671 apartment homes were under redevelopment. In addition, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 27 communities under development that are expected to contain an aggregate of 9,129 apartment homes when completed. The Company also owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in land or rights to land in which the Company expects to develop an additional 25 communities that, if developed as expected, will contain an estimated 8,487 apartment homes (unaudited).

Capitalized terms used without definition have meanings provided elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, certain joint venture partnerships, subsidiary partnerships structured as DownREITs and any variable interest entities that qualify for consolidation. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The Company accounts for joint venture entities and subsidiary partnerships in accordance with the consolidation guidance. The Company evaluates the partnership of each joint venture entity and determines first whether to follow the variable interest entity (“VIE”) or the voting interest entity (“VOE”) model. Once the appropriate consolidation model is identified, the Company then evaluates whether it should consolidate the venture. Under the VIE model, the Company consolidates an investment when it has control to direct the activities of the venture and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE. Under the VOE model, the Company consolidates an investment when 1) it controls the investment through ownership of a majority voting interest if the investment is not a limited partnership or 2) it controls the investment through its ability to remove the other partners in the investment, at its discretion, when the investment is a limited partnership.

The Company generally uses the equity method of accounting for its investment in joint ventures, under all other potential scenarios, including where the Company holds a noncontrolling limited partner interest in a joint venture. Any investment in excess of the Company's cost basis at acquisition or formation of an equity method venture, will be recorded as a component of the Company's investment in the joint venture and recognized over the life of the underlying fixed assets of the venture as a reduction to its equity in income from the venture. Investments in which the Company has little or no influence are accounted for using the cost method.

Revenue and Gain Recognition

Rental income related to leases is recognized on an accrual basis when due from residents as required by the accounting guidance applicable to leases, which provides guidance on classification and recognition. In accordance with the Company's standard lease terms, rental payments are generally due on a monthly basis. Any cash concessions given at the inception of the lease are amortized over the approximate life of the lease, which is generally one year. The Company records a charge to income for outstanding receivables greater than 90 days past due as a component of operating expenses, excluding property taxes on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

The Company accounts for the sale of real estate assets 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, other than retail land sales. 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.

Real Estate

Operating real estate assets are stated at cost and consist of land and improvements, buildings and improvements, furniture, fixtures and equipment, and other costs incurred during their development, redevelopment and acquisition. Significant expenditures which improve or extend the life of an existing asset and that will benefit the Company for periods greater than a year, are capitalized. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. The Company generally expenses purchases of personal property made for replacement purposes.

Project costs related to the development, construction and redevelopment of real estate projects (including interest and related loan fees, property taxes and other direct costs) are capitalized as a cost of the project. Indirect project costs that relate to several projects are capitalized and allocated to the projects to which they relate. Indirect costs not clearly related to development, construction and redevelopment activity are expensed as incurred. For development, capitalization (i) begins when the Company has determined that development of the future asset is probable, (ii) can be suspended if there is no current development activity underway, but future development is still probable and (iii) ends when the asset, or a portion of an asset, is delivered and is ready for its intended use, or the Company's intended use changes such that capitalization is no longer appropriate.

For land parcels improved with operating real estate, for which the Company intends to pursue development, the Company generally manages the current improvements until such time as all tenant obligations have been satisfied or eliminated through negotiation, and construction of new apartment communities is ready to begin. Revenue from incidental operations received from the current improvements on land parcels in excess of any incremental costs are recorded as a reduction of total capitalized costs of the respective Development Right and not as part of net income.

For redevelopment efforts, the Company capitalizes costs either (i) in advance of taking homes out of service when significant renovation of the common area has begun until the redevelopment is completed, or (ii) when an apartment home is taken out of service for redevelopment until the redevelopment is completed and the apartment home is available for a new resident. Rental income and operating costs incurred during the initial lease-up or post-redevelopment lease-up period are recognized in earnings as incurred. The Company defers external costs associated with originating new leases, recognizing the impact of these costs in earnings over the term of the lease.

The adoption of ASU 2017-01 is expected to impact the Company's accounting framework for the acquisition of operating communities. Prior to adoption of ASU 2017-01 on October 1, 2016, the acquisition of an operating community was viewed as an acquisition of a business, and the Company identified and recorded each asset acquired and liability assumed in such transaction at its estimated fair value at the date of acquisition. The purchase price allocation to tangible assets, such as land and improvements, buildings and improvements, and furniture, fixtures and equipment, and the in-place lease intangible assets, was reflected in real estate assets and depreciated over their estimated useful lives. Any purchase price allocation to intangible assets, other than in-place lease intangibles, was included in prepaid expenses and other assets on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets and amortized over the term of the acquired intangible asset. The Company expensed all costs incurred related to acquisitions of operating communities. The Company valued land based on a market approach, looking to recent sales of similar properties, adjusting for differences due to location, the state of entitlement as well as the shape and size of the parcel. Improvements to land were valued using a replacement cost approach and consider the structures and amenities included for the communities. The approach applied industry standard replacement costs adjusted for geographic specific considerations and reduced by estimated depreciation. The value for furniture, fixtures and equipment was also determined based on a replacement cost approach, considering costs for both items in the apartment homes as well as common areas and was adjusted for estimated depreciation. The fair value of buildings acquired was estimated using the replacement cost approach, assuming the buildings were vacant at acquisition. The replacement cost approach considered the composition of structures acquired, adjusted for an estimate of depreciation. The estimate of depreciation was made considering industry standard information, depreciation curves for the identified asset classes and estimated useful life of the acquired property. The value of the acquired lease-related intangibles considered the estimated cost of leasing the apartment homes as if the acquired building(s) were vacant, as well as the value of the current leases relative to market-rate leases. The in-place lease value was determined using an average total lease-up time, the number of apartment homes and net revenues generated during the lease-up time. The lease-up period for an apartment community was assumed to be 12 months to achieve stabilized occupancy. Net revenues used market rent considering actual leasing and industry rental rate data. The value of current leases relative to a market-rate lease was based on market rents obtained for market comparables, and considered a market derived discount rate. Given the significance of unobservable inputs used in the value of real estate assets acquired, the Company classified them as Level 3 prices in the fair value hierarchy. Consideration for acquisitions is typically in the form of cash unless otherwise disclosed.

Subsequent to adoption of ASU 2017-01, the Company assesses each acquisition of an operating community to determine if it meets the definition of a business or if it qualifies as an asset acquisition. The Company expects that acquisitions of individual operating communities will generally be viewed as asset acquisitions, and result in the capitalization of acquisition costs, and the allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, based on the relative fair value of the respective assets and liabilities.

Depreciation is calculated on buildings and improvements using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives, which range from seven to 30 years. Furniture, fixtures and equipment are generally depreciated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives, which range from three years (primarily computer-related equipment) to seven years.

Income Taxes

As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Company did not have any unrecognized tax benefits. The Company does not believe that there will be any material changes in its unrecognized tax positions over the next 12 months. The Company is subject to examination by the respective taxing authorities for the tax years 2013 through 2015.

The Company elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Code for its tax year ended December 31, 1994 and has not revoked such election. A corporate REIT is a legal entity which holds real estate interests and can deduct from its federally taxable income qualifying dividends it pays if it meets a number of organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that it currently distribute at least 90% of its adjusted taxable income to stockholders. Therefore, as a REIT the Company generally will not be subject to corporate level federal income tax on taxable income if it distributes 100% of its taxable income over the time period allowed under the Code to its stockholders. The states in which the Company operates have similar tax provisions which recognize the Company as a REIT for state income tax purposes. Management believes that all such conditions for the exemption from income taxes on ordinary income have been or will be met for the periods presented. Accordingly, no provision for federal and state income taxes has been made. If the Company fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, it will be subject to federal income taxes at regular corporate rates (including any applicable alternative minimum tax) and may not be able to qualify as a REIT for four subsequent taxable years. Even if the Company qualifies for taxation as a REIT, the Company may be subject to certain state and local taxes on its income and property, and to federal income and excise taxes on its undistributed taxable income. The Company did not incur any charges or receive refunds of excise taxes related to the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014. In addition, taxable income from non-REIT activities performed through taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRS”) is subject to federal, state and local income taxes. The Company incurred income tax expense of $305,000, $1,483,000 and $9,368,000 in 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively, associated primarily with activities transacted through a TRS.

The following reconciles net income attributable to common stockholders to taxable net income for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 (unaudited, dollars in thousands):



	2016 Estimate			2015 Actual			2014 Actual
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	1,034,002		$	742,038		$	683,567
GAAP gain on sale of communities (in excess of) less than tax gain	(204,767		)	(20,900		)	22,127
Depreciation/amortization timing differences on real estate	(10,183		)	(24,657		)	(10,735		)
Amortization of debt/mark to market interest	(19,763		)	(64,676		)	(38,202		)
Tax compensation expense less than (in excess of) GAAP	5,592			(1,244		)	(5,252		)
Casualty and impairment (gain) loss, net	(3,935		)	(10,542		)	—
Other adjustments	(10		)	(12,829		)	14,323
Taxable net income	$	800,936		$	607,190		$	665,828

The following summarizes the tax components of the Company's common dividends declared for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 (unaudited):



	2016		2015		2014
Ordinary income	68	%	83	%	62	%
20% capital gain	26	%	12	%	29	%
Unrecaptured §1250 gain	6	%	5	%	9	%

Deferred Financing Costs

Deferred financing costs include fees and other expenditures necessary to obtain debt financing and are amortized on a straight-line basis, which approximates the effective interest method, over the shorter of the term of the loan or the related credit enhancement facility, if applicable. Unamortized financing costs are charged to earnings when debt is retired before the maturity date. Accumulated amortization of deferred financing costs related to unsecured notes was $14,008,000 and $11,995,000 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively, and related to mortgage notes payable was $10,562,000 and $12,315,000 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Deferred financing costs, except for costs associated with line-of-credit arrangements, are presented as a direct deduction from the related debt liability. Accumulated amortization of deferred financing costs related to the Company's Credit Facility was $6,490,000 and $4,967,000 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively, and was included in prepaid expenses and other assets on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Cash in Escrow

Cash and cash equivalents include all cash and liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less from the date acquired. Cash in escrow includes principal reserve funds that are restricted for the repayment of specified secured financing. The majority of the Company's cash, cash equivalents and cash in escrow are held at major commercial banks.

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income, as reflected on the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, is defined as all changes in equity during each period except for those resulting from investments by or distributions to shareholders. Accumulated other comprehensive loss, as reflected on the Consolidated Statements of Equity, reflects the effective portion of the cumulative changes in the fair value of derivatives in qualifying cash flow hedge relationships.

Earnings per Common Share

Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period. All outstanding unvested restricted share awards contain rights to non-forfeitable dividends and participate in undistributed earnings with common shareholders and, accordingly, are considered participating securities that are included in the two-class method of computing basic earnings per share (“EPS”). Both the unvested restricted shares and other potentially dilutive common shares, and the related impact to earnings, are considered when calculating earnings per share on a diluted basis. The Company's earnings per common share are determined as follows (dollars in thousands, except per share data):



	For the year ended
	12/31/16			12/31/15			12/31/14
Basic and diluted shares outstanding
Weighted average common shares—basic	136,928,251			133,565,711			130,586,718
Weighted average DownREIT units outstanding	7,500			7,500			7,500
Effect of dilutive securities	525,886			1,019,966			643,284
Weighted average common shares—diluted	137,461,637			134,593,177			131,237,502

Calculation of Earnings per Share—basic
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	1,034,002		$	742,038		$	683,567
Net income allocated to unvested restricted shares	(2,610		)	(1,774		)	(1,523		)
Net income attributable to common stockholders, adjusted	$	1,031,392		$	740,264		$	682,044

Weighted average common shares—basic	136,928,251			133,565,711			130,586,718

Earnings per common share—basic	$	7.53		$	5.54		$	5.22

Calculation of Earnings per Share—diluted
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	1,034,002		$	742,038		$	683,567
Add: noncontrolling interests of DownREIT unitholders in consolidated partnerships, including discontinued operations	41			38			35
Adjusted net income attributable to common stockholders	$	1,034,043		$	742,076		$	683,602

Weighted average common shares—diluted	137,461,637			134,593,177			131,237,502

Earnings per common share—diluted	$	7.52		$	5.51		$	5.21

Dividends per common share	$	5.40		$	5.00		$	4.64

All options to purchase shares of common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 are included in the computation of diluted earnings per share.

The Company is required to estimate the forfeiture of stock options and recognize compensation cost net of the estimated forfeitures. The estimated forfeitures included in compensation cost are adjusted to reflect actual forfeitures at the end of the vesting period. The forfeiture rate at December 31, 2016 was 0.8% and is based on the average forfeiture activity over a period equal to the estimated life of the stock options. The application of estimated forfeitures did not materially impact compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014. As discussed under "Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Standards," the Company will adopt the provision of ASU 2016-09 and recognize forfeitures as they occur beginning in 2017.

Abandoned Pursuit Costs, Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Casualty Loss

Abandoned Pursuit Costs and Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company capitalizes pre-development costs incurred in pursuit of new development opportunities for which the Company currently believes future development is probable (“Development Rights”). Future development of these Development Rights is dependent upon various factors, including zoning and regulatory approval, rental market conditions, construction costs and the availability of capital. Initial pre-development costs incurred for pursuits for which future development is not yet considered probable are expensed as incurred. In addition, if the status of a Development Right changes, making future development by the Company no longer probable, any capitalized pre-development costs are expensed. The Company expensed costs related to the abandonment of Development Rights, as well as costs incurred in pursuing the acquisition of assets or costs incurred pursuing the disposition of assets for which such acquisition and disposition activity did not occur, in the amounts of $4,183,000, $3,016,000 and $3,964,000 during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. These costs are included in expensed acquisition, development and other pursuit costs, net of recoveries on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Abandoned pursuit costs can vary greatly, and the costs incurred in any given period may be significantly different in future periods.

The Company evaluates its real estate and other long-lived assets for impairment when potential indicators of impairment exist. Such assets are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization, unless the carrying amount of the asset is not recoverable. If events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a property or long-lived asset may not be recoverable, the Company assesses its recoverability by comparing the carrying amount of the property or long-lived asset to its estimated undiscounted future cash flows. If the carrying amount exceeds the aggregate undiscounted future cash flows, the Company recognizes an impairment loss to the extent the carrying amount exceeds the estimated fair value of the property or long-lived asset. Based on periodic tests of recoverability of long-lived assets, for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, the Company did not recognize any impairment losses for wholly-owned operating real estate assets, and did not record any impairment losses other than those related to the impairment on land held for investment and casualty gains and losses from property damage in 2016 and 2015 discussed below.

The Company assesses its portfolio of land held for both development and investment for impairment if the intent of the Company changes with respect to either the development of, or the expected holding period for, the land. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company recognized $10,500,000 of aggregate impairment charges related to three ancillary land parcels for which the Company has either sold or intends to sell. These charges were determined as the excess of the Company's carrying basis over the expected sales price for each parcel, and is included in casualty and impairment (gain) loss, net on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. The Company did not recognize any material impairment charges on its investment in land during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

The Company evaluates its unconsolidated investments for other than temporary impairment, considering both the extent and amount by which the carrying value of the investment exceeds the fair value, and the Company’s intent and ability to hold the investment to recover its carrying value. The Company also evaluates its proportionate share of any impairment of assets held by unconsolidated investments. There were no other than temporary impairment losses recognized by any of the Company's investments in unconsolidated real estate entities during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 or 2014.

Casualty Gains and Losses

In January 2015, a fire occurred at the Company's Avalon at Edgewater apartment community located in Edgewater, NJ. Edgewater consisted of two residential buildings. One building, containing 240 apartment homes, was destroyed. The second building, containing 168 apartment homes, suffered minimal damage and has been repaired. See Note 7, “Commitments and Contingencies,” for discussion of the related legal matters.

During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company reached a final insurance settlement for the Company's property damage and lost income for the Edgewater casualty loss, for which it received aggregate insurance proceeds for Edgewater of $73,150,000, after self-insurance and deductibles, as discussed below.

During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company received $44,142,000 in insurance proceeds, which were partially offset by casualty charges of $21,844,000 to write off the net book value of the building destroyed by the fire at Edgewater, and $6,760,000 to record demolition and additional incident expenses, resulting in a net casualty gain of $15,538,000. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company received the final $29,008,000 of insurance proceeds, of which $8,702,000 was recognized as an additional net casualty gain and $20,306,000 as business interruption insurance proceeds. The Company reported the net casualty gains from each of the respective years as casualty and impairment (gain) loss, net on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, and reported the business interruption insurance proceeds as a component of rental and other income on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

During the year ended December 31, 2015, several of the Company's communities in its Northeast markets incurred property and casualty damages from severe winter storms, for which the Company recorded an impairment due to a casualty loss of $4,195,000. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company recorded a net casualty gain related to the 2015 severe winter storms of $5,732,000, which is comprised of $8,493,000 in third-party insurance proceeds received, partially offset by incremental costs of $2,761,000. These amounts are included in casualty and impairment (gain) loss, net on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

The Company did not incur a casualty loss in 2014.

A casualty loss may also result in lost operating income from one or more communities that is covered by the Company’s business interruption insurance policies. The Company recognizes income for amounts received under its business interruption insurance policies as a component of rental and other income in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Revenue is recognized upon resolution of all contingencies related to the receipt, typically upon written confirmation by the insurer or receipt of the actual proceeds. The Company recognized $20,564,000, of which $20,306,000 was related to the Edgewater casualty loss, $1,509,000 and $2,494,000 in income related business interruption insurance proceeds for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations

The Company presents the assets and liabilities of any communities which have been sold, or otherwise qualify as held for sale, separately in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. In addition, the results of operations for those assets that meet the definition of discontinued operations are presented as such in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Real estate assets held for sale are measured at the lower of the carrying amount or the fair value less the cost to sell. Both the real estate assets and corresponding liabilities are presented separately in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. Upon the classification of an asset as held for sale, no further depreciation is recorded. Subsequent to the adoption of ASU 2014-08 on January 1, 2014, as discussed under "Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Standards," disposals representing a strategic shift in operations (e.g., a disposal of a major geographic area, a major line of business or a major equity method investment) will be presented as discontinued operations, and for those assets qualifying for classification as discontinued operations, the specific components of net income presented as discontinued operations include net operating income, depreciation expense and interest expense, net. For periods prior to the asset qualifying for discontinued operations, the Company reclassifies the results of operations to discontinued operations. In addition, the net gain or loss (including any impairment loss) on the eventual disposal of assets held for sale will be presented as discontinued operations when recognized. A change in presentation for held for sale or discontinued operations will not have any impact on the Company's financial condition or results of operations. The Company combines the operating, investing and financing portions of cash flows attributable to discontinued operations with the respective cash flows from continuing operations on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The Company had two ancillary land parcels that qualified as held for sale presentation at December 31, 2016.

Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests

Redeemable noncontrolling interests are comprised of potential future obligations of the Company, which allow the investors holding the noncontrolling interest to require the Company to purchase their interest. The Company classifies obligations under the redeemable noncontrolling interests at fair value, with a corresponding offset for changes in the fair value recorded in accumulated earnings less dividends. Reductions in fair value are recorded only to the extent that the Company has previously recorded increases in fair value above the redeemable noncontrolling interest's initial basis. The redeemable noncontrolling interests are presented outside of permanent equity as settlement in shares of the Company's common stock, where permitted, may not be within the Company's control. The nature and valuation of the Company's redeemable noncontrolling interests are discussed further in Note 11, “Fair Value.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

The Company enters into interest rate swap and interest rate cap agreements (collectively, “Hedging Derivatives”) for interest rate risk management purposes and in conjunction with certain variable rate secured debt to satisfy lender requirements. The Company does not enter into Hedging Derivative transactions for trading or other speculative purposes. The Company assesses the effectiveness of qualifying cash flow and fair value hedges, both at inception and on an on-going basis. Hedge ineffectiveness is reported as a component of general and administrative expenses. The fair values of Hedging Derivatives that are in an asset position are recorded in prepaid expenses and other assets. The fair value of Hedging Derivatives that are in a liability position are included in accrued expenses and other liabilities. The Company does not present or disclose the fair value of Hedging Derivatives on a net basis. Fair value changes for derivatives that are not in qualifying hedge relationships are reported as a component of interest expense, net. For the Hedging Derivative positions that the Company has determined qualify as effective cash flow hedges, the Company has recorded the effective portion of cumulative changes in the fair value of Hedging Derivatives in other comprehensive income (loss). Amounts recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) will be reclassified into earnings in the periods in which earnings are affected by the hedged cash flow. The effective portion of the change in fair value of the Hedging Derivatives that the Company has determined qualified as effective fair value hedges is reported as an adjustment to the carrying amount of the corresponding debt being hedged.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications have been made to amounts in prior years' notes to financial statements to conform to current year presentations as a result of changes in held for sale classification and disposition activity.

Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Standards and Change in Accounting Principle

Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Standards

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01-Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business, which changes the definition of a business to assist in determining when a set of transferred assets is a business. The guidance states that if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, the transaction is an asset acquisition and not a business combination. If the fair value of the gross assets acquired is not concentrated into a single asset or group of similar assets, the acquired assets are viewed as a business combination only if they include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create output. The guidance will be effective in the first quarter of 2018 and allows for early adoption of transactions that have not been reported in financial statements that have been issued or made available for issuance. The Company adopted the guidance as of October 1, 2016 and did not acquire any businesses during the fourth quarter of 2016. The adoption of the standard did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18-Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash, which requires statements of cash flows to explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The new standard requires a retrospective approach. The guidance will be effective in the first quarter of 2018 and allows for early adoption. The Company is assessing whether the new standard will have a material effect on its financial position or results of operations.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. This ASU addresses eight specific cash flow issues including debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims, distributions received from equity method investees and separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. The new standard requires a retrospective approach. The guidance will be effective in the first quarter of 2018 and allows for early adoption. The Company will adopt the new standard effective January 1, 2017, and does not anticipate that the new standard will have a material effect on its financial position or results of operations.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation-Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which simplifies several aspects of share-based payment transactions, including income tax consequences, classification of awards as equity or liability, statement of cash flows classification and policy election options for forfeitures. Upon adoption of the standard, the Company will elect to account for forfeitures when they occur instead of estimating the forfeitures. The Company will adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2017, using the modified retrospective approach. The Company does not anticipate that the new standard to have a material effect on its financial position or results of operations.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases, amending the existing accounting standards for lease accounting, including requiring lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets and making targeted changes to lessor accounting. The guidance will be effective in the first quarter of 2019 and allows for early adoption. The new standard requires a modified retrospective transition approach for all leases existing at, or entered into after, the date of initial application, with an option to use certain transition relief.

ASU 2016-02 provides for transition relief, which includes not electing to (i) reassess whether any expired or existing contract is a lease or contains a lease, (ii) reassess the lease classification of any expired or existing leases and (iii) expense any capitalized initial direct costs for any existing leases. The Company anticipates adoption of the standard to have a material impact on its financial position and results of operations resulting from the recognition of the right to use asset and corresponding lease obligation for its long-term ground leases, currently accounted for as operating leases. The Company will continue to assess the impact of the new standard.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern, which requires management to assess an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The standard was effective in the fourth quarter of 2016 for the Company. The standard did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers and in August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers-Deferral of the Effective Date, which defers the effective date of the new revenue recognition standard until the first quarter of 2018. Subsequently, the FASB has issued multiple ASUs clarifying ASU 2014-09 and ASU 2015-14.

Under the new standard, revenue is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the fee is fixed or determinable, and collectability is probable. Revenue is generally recognized net of allowances and any taxes collected from customers and subsequently remitted to governmental authorities. The majority of the Company’s revenue is derived from rental income, which is scoped out from this standard and will be accounted for under ASU 2016-02, Leases, discussed above. The Company's other revenue streams, which are being evaluated under this ASU, include but are not limited to management fees, other income from residents determined not to be within the scope of ASU 2016-02 and gains and losses from real estate dispositions. The Company will continue to assess the impact of the new standard and anticipates adoption as of January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective approach.

In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-08, guidance updating the accounting and reporting for discontinued operations, under which only disposals representing a strategic shift in operations (e.g., a disposal of a major geographic area, a major line of business or a major equity method investment) will be presented as discontinued operations. The standard also requires expanded disclosures about dispositions that will provide financial statement users with more information about the assets, liabilities, income and expenses of discontinued operations, as well as disposals of a significant part of an entity that does not qualify for discontinued operations reporting. The standard was effective in the first quarter of 2015 and the Company adopted the guidance as of January 1, 2014.