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Organization, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Organization and Basis of Presentation | 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 September 30, 2016, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 261 operating apartment communities containing 75,254 apartment homes in 10 states and the District of Columbia, of which eight communities containing 3,363 apartment homes were under reconstruction. In addition, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect interest in 22 communities under construction that are expected to contain an aggregate of 7,454 apartment homes when completed. The Company also owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in land or rights to land on which the Company expects to develop an additional 28 communities that, if developed as expected, will contain an estimated 9,550 apartment homes. The interim unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and in conjunction with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements required by GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. These unaudited financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes included in the Company’s 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full year. Management believes the disclosures are adequate to ensure the information presented is not misleading. In the opinion of management, all adjustments and eliminations, consisting only of normal, recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the financial statements for the interim periods, have been included. Capitalized terms used without definition have meanings provided elsewhere in this Form 10-Q.
Earnings per Common Share | 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 three months ended |  | For the nine months ended
| 9/30/2016 |  | 9/30/2015 |  | 9/30/2016 |  | 9/30/2015
Basic and diluted shares outstanding |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Weighted average common shares - basic | 136,997,756 |  |  | 133,669,584 |  |  | 136,901,164 |  |  | 132,516,847 |
Weighted average DownREIT units outstanding | 7,500 |  |  | 7,500 |  |  | 7,500 |  |  | 7,500 |
Effect of dilutive securities | 499,798 |  |  | 1,032,376 |  |  | 533,642 |  |  | 1,139,423 |
Weighted average common shares - diluted | 137,505,054 |  |  | 134,709,460 |  |  | 137,442,306 |  |  | 133,663,770 |
Calculation of Earnings per Share - basic |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Net income attributable to common stockholders | $ | 356,392 |  |  | $ | 206,142 |  |  | $ | 791,767 |  |  | $ | 586,610 |
Net income allocated to unvested restricted shares | (872 | ) |  | (467 | ) |  | (2,036 | ) |  | (1,444 | )
Net income attributable to common stockholders, adjusted | $ | 355,520 |  |  | $ | 205,675 |  |  | $ | 789,731 |  |  | $ | 585,166 |
Weighted average common shares - basic | 136,997,756 |  |  | 133,669,584 |  |  | 136,901,164 |  |  | 132,516,847 |
Earnings per common share - basic | $ | 2.60 |  |  | $ | 1.54 |  |  | $ | 5.77 |  |  | $ | 4.42 |
Calculation of Earnings per Share - diluted |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Net income attributable to common stockholders | $ | 356,392 |  |  | $ | 206,142 |  |  | $ | 791,767 |  |  | $ | 586,610 |
Add: noncontrolling interests of DownREIT unitholders in consolidated partnerships, including discontinued operations | 10 |  |  | 9 |  |  | 30 |  |  | 28 |
Adjusted net income available to common stockholders | $ | 356,402 |  |  | $ | 206,151 |  |  | $ | 791,797 |  |  | $ | 586,638 |
Weighted average common shares - diluted | 137,505,054 |  |  | 134,709,460 |  |  | 137,442,306 |  |  | 133,663,770 |
Earnings per common share - diluted | $ | 2.59 |  |  | $ | 1.53 |  |  | $ | 5.76 |  |  | $ | 4.39 |
All options to purchase shares of common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2016 and 2015 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 September 30, 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 three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 or 2015.
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities | 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.
Legal and Other Contingencies | Legal and Other Contingencies In January 2015, a fire occurred at the Company's Avalon at Edgewater apartment community located in Edgewater, New Jersey. 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. The Company has established protocols for processing claims from third parties who suffered losses as a result of the fire, and many third parties have contacted the Company's insurance carrier and settled their claims. See Part II, Item 1, "Legal Proceedings," for further discussion of the lawsuits associated with the Edgewater casualty loss. Three class action lawsuits have been filed against the Company on behalf of occupants of the destroyed building and consolidated in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. The Company has agreed with class counsel to the terms of a proposed settlement which would provide a claims process (with agreed upon protocols for instructing the adjuster as to how to evaluate claims) and, if needed, an arbitration process to determine damage amounts to be paid to individual claimants covered by the class settlement. On July 8, 2016, class counsel filed with the court a motion for preliminary approval of this class settlement, and the Company did not oppose such motion. The Court administratively terminated this motion without prejudice due to the filing of an appeal of an order denying a motion to intervene in the settlement, but the Company expects that the motion will be re-filed shortly. The Company cannot predict when or if the court will approve the settlement. A fourth class action, being heard in the same federal court, was filed against the Company on behalf of residents of the second Edgewater building that suffered minimal damage. In addition to the class action lawsuits described above, 20 lawsuits representing approximately 141 individual plaintiffs have been filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey Bergen County - Law Division and 19 of these lawsuits are currently pending. All of these state court cases have been consolidated by the court; the Company believes that it has meritorious defenses to the extent of damages claimed in all of the suits. There are also three subrogation lawsuits that have been filed against the Company by insurers of Edgewater residents who obtained “renter’s insurance”; it is the Company’s position that in the majority of the applicable leases the residents waived subrogation rights. One of these lawsuits has been dismissed on that basis and the other two are currently pending in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Having settled many third party claims through the insurance claims process, the Company currently believes that any potential remaining liability to third parties (including any potential liability to third parties determined in accordance with the class settlement described above, if approved) will not be material to the Company and will in any event be substantially covered by the Company's insurance policies. However, the Company can give no assurances in this regard and continues to evaluate this matter.
Use of Estimates | 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 | 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 Adopted Accounting Standards | Recently Issued Accounting Standards In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, a revenue recognition standard that will result in companies recognizing revenue from contracts when control for the service or product that is the subject of the contract is transferred from the seller to the buyer. 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 ASU’s clarifying ASU 2014-09 and ASU 2015-14. The Company is assessing whether the new standard will 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 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. The guidance will be effective in the first quarter of 2019 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 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. The new standard requires either a prospective, retrospective or modified retrospective approach depending on the amendment type. The guidance will be effective in the first quarter of 2017 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 is assessing whether the new standard will have a material effect on its financial position or results of operations.

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