Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Interim Financial Information

Interim Financial Information

Our interim financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and pursuant to the requirements for reporting on Form 10-Q in accordance with Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, certain disclosures accompanying annual financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP are omitted. In the opinion of our management, all adjustments, consisting solely of normal recurring accruals, necessary for the fair presentation of financial statements for the interim period have been included. The interim financial statements and accompanying notes should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 23, 2016 (the “Form 10-K”). The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2016, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for other interim periods or for the full fiscal year.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.

Reclassifications

Reclassifications

Certain line items on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2015, the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2015, and the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2015, have been reclassified to conform to the current period’s presentation. These reclassifications had no impact on previously-reported stockholders’ equity, net income or net change in cash and cash equivalents.

Non-controlling Interests

Non-controlling Interests

Non-controlling interests are interests in the Operating Partnership not owned by us. We evaluate whether non-controlling interests are subject to redemption features outside of our control. As of March 31, 2016, the non-controlling interests in the Operating Partnership are redeemable for cash or, at our option, shares of our common stock and thus are reported in the equity section of the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet but separate from stockholders’ equity. The amount reported for non-controlling interests on the Condensed Statement of Operations represents the portion of income from the Operating Partnership not attributable to us.

Critical Accounting Policies

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make judgments that are subjective in nature in order to make certain estimates and assumptions, and the application of these accounting policies involves the exercise of judgment regarding the use of assumptions as to future uncertainties. A summary of our significant accounting policies is provided in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in our Form 10-K. There were no material changes to our significant accounting policies during the three months ended March 31, 2016.

Recently-Issued Accounting Guidance

Recently-Issued Accounting Guidance

In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2015-03, “Interest—Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs” (“ASU 2015-03”), which simplifies the presentation of debt issuance costs. ASU 2015-03 requires the presentation of debt issuance costs on the balance sheet as a deduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liability instead of a deferred financing cost. ASU 2015-03 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and we have adopted this provision for the three months ended March 31, 2016. As of March 31, 2016, and December 31, 2015, we had unamortized deferred financing costs related to mortgage notes and bonds payable of $1.0 and $1.1 million, respectively, which costs have been reclassified from Deferred financing costs, net, as reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2015, in the Form 10-K, to Mortgage notes and bonds payable, net on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. All periods presented have been retroactively adjusted.

The following table summarizes the retrospective adjustment and the overall impact on the previously-reported consolidated financial statements:

 

     As of December 31, 2015  
     As Previously      Retrospective  
     Reported      Application  

Deferred financing costs related to mortgage notes and bonds payable(1)

   $ 1,054,222       $ —     

Mortgage notes and bonds payable, net

     142,633,157         141,578,935   

 

(1) Included as part of Deferred financing costs, net as reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheet in the Form 10-K.

In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-15, “Interest—Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Presentation and Subsequent Measurement of Debt Issuance Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements” (“ASU 2015-15”), which codifies an SEC staff announcement that entities are permitted to defer and present debt issuance costs related to line of credit arrangements as assets. ASU 2015-15 was effective immediately. As of each March 31, 2016, and December 31, 2015, we had unamortized deferred financing costs of approximately $0.1 million related to our line of credit, and we will continue to present debt issuance costs related to line of credit arrangements as an asset on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

On January 1, 2016, we adopted accounting guidance under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 810, “Consolidations: Improvements to Financial Reporting by Enterprises Involved with Variable Interest Entities,” (“ASC 810”), which modifies the analysis we must perform to determine whether we should consolidate certain types of legal entities. The guidance does not amend the existing disclosure requirements for variable interest entities (“VIEs”) or voting interest model entities, but it modifies the requirements to qualify as a voting interest model entity. Under the revised guidance, our Operating Partnership will qualify as a VIE; however, as we already consolidate the Operating Partnership in our balance sheets, the identification of our Operating Partnership as a VIE has no impact on our consolidated financial statements. There were no other legal entities qualifying under the scope of the revised guidance that were consolidated as a result of the adoption of this guidance. In addition, there were no other voting interest model entities under prior existing guidance determined to be VIEs under the revised guidance.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842): An Amendment of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification” (“ASU 2016-02”). The new standard requires lessees to apply a dual approach, classifying leases as either finance or operating leases based on the principle of whether or not the leases is effectively a financed purchase by the lessee, which classification determines whether lease expense is recognized based on an effective interest method or on a straight-line basis, respectively, over the term of the lease. A lessee is also required to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all leases with a term of greater than 12 months, regardless of the classification. Leases with a term of 12 months or less will be accounted for similar to existing guidance for operating leases. The new standard requires lessors to account for leases using an approach that is substantially equivalent to existing guidance for sales-type leases, direct financing leases and operating leases. ASU 2016-02 supersedes the previous leasing standard, ASC 840, “Leases,” and is effective on January 1, 2019, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the overall impact of ASU 2016-02. We expect our legal expenses to increase marginally, as the new standard requires us to expense indirect leasing costs that were previously capitalized; however, we do not expect ASU 2016-02 to materially impact our consolidated financial statements, as we do not currently have any lease arrangements for which we are the lessee.