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Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] |
Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies | Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies Description of Business Highwoods Properties, Inc. (the “Company”) is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that provides leasing, management, development, construction and other customer-related services for its properties and for third parties. The Company conducts its activities through Highwoods Realty Limited Partnership (the “Operating Partnership”). At September 30, 2015, we owned or had an interest in 32.5 million rentable square feet of in-service properties, 1.4 million rentable square feet of properties under development and approximately 500 acres of development land. The Company is the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. At September 30, 2015, the Company owned all of the Preferred Units and 94.9 million, or 97.0%, of the Common Units in the Operating Partnership. Limited partners own the remaining 2.9 million Common Units. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015, the Company redeemed 26,820 Common Units for a like number of shares of Common Stock. Common Stock Offerings During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, the Company issued 1,206,200 and 2,178,859 shares, respectively, of Common Stock under its equity sales agreements at an average gross sales price of $41.89 and $43.33 per share, respectively, and received net proceeds, after sales commissions, of $49.8 million and $93.0 million, respectively. As a result of this activity and the redemptions discussed above, the percentage of Common Units owned by the Company increased from 96.9% at December 31, 2014 to 97.0% at September 30, 2015. Basis of Presentation Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The Company's Consolidated Financial Statements include the Operating Partnership, wholly owned subsidiaries and those entities in which the Company has the controlling interest. The Operating Partnership's Consolidated Financial Statements include wholly owned subsidiaries and those entities in which the Operating Partnership has the controlling interest. All intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated. At December 31, 2014, we had involvement with, but were not the primary beneficiary in, an entity that we concluded to be a variable interest entity (see Note 3). During the second quarter of 2015, as a result of our partner’s irrevocable exercise of a buy-sell provision in our SF-HIW Harborview Plaza, LP ("Harborview") joint venture agreement, our partner’s right to put its 80.0% equity interest back to us became no longer exercisable. As a result, we recorded the original contribution transaction as a partial sale and recognized $2.2 million of gain. Our investment in this joint venture then qualified for the equity method of accounting, which resulted in the retrospective revision of the Consolidated Balance Sheets and Consolidated Statements of Equity and Capital for all prior periods presented. The effects of the retrospective application of the equity method of accounting to the Consolidated Statements of Income, Comprehensive Income and Cash Flows were not material. The effects of the retrospective application of the equity method of accounting to the Company's December 31, 2014 Balance Sheet were as follows:
| December 31, 2014
| Previously Reported |  | As Revised
Net real estate assets | $ | 3,481,406 |  |  | $ | 3,452,006 |
Investments in and advances to unconsolidated affiliates | $ | 27,071 |  |  | $ | 50,685 |
Total Assets | $ | 4,004,909 |  |  | $ | 3,999,123 |
Financing obligations | $ | 23,519 |  |  | $ | 8,962 |
Distributions in excess of net income available for common stockholders | $ | (966,141 | ) |  | $ | (957,370 | )
Total Liabilities, Noncontrolling Interests in the Operating Partnership and Equity | $ | 4,004,909 |  |  | $ | 3,999,123 |
1. Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies – Continued The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and accompanying unaudited consolidated financial information, in the opinion of management, contain all adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. We have condensed or omitted certain notes and other information from the interim Consolidated Financial Statements presented in this Quarterly Report as permitted by SEC rules and regulations. These Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with our 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Use of Estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Recently Issued Accounting Standards The Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") recently issued an accounting standards update that requires the use of a new five-step model to recognize revenue from customer contracts. The five-step model requires that we identify the contract with the customer, identify the performance obligations in the contract, determine the transaction price, allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and recognize revenue when we satisfy the performance obligations. We will also be required to disclose information regarding the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The accounting standards update is required to be adopted in 2018. Retrospective application is required either to all periods presented or with the cumulative effect of initial adoption recognized in the period of adoption. We are in the process of evaluating this accounting standards update. The FASB recently issued an accounting standards update that amends consolidation requirements. The amendments significantly change the consolidation analysis required under GAAP and will require companies to reevaluate all previous consolidation conclusions. The accounting standards update is required to be adopted in 2016. We are in the process of evaluating this accounting standards update. The FASB recently issued an accounting standards update that requires debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The accounting standards update is required to be adopted in 2016. Retrospective application is required. We are in the process of evaluating this accounting standards update.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for the organization, consolidation and basis of presentation of financial statements disclosure, and significant accounting policies of the reporting entity. May be provided in more than one note to the financial statements, as long as users are provided with an understanding of (1) the significant judgments and assumptions made by an enterprise in determining whether it must consolidate a VIE and/or disclose information about its involvement with a VIE, (2) the nature of restrictions on a consolidated VIE's assets reported by an enterprise in its statement of financial position, including the carrying amounts of such assets, (3) the nature of, and changes in, the risks associated with an enterprise's involvement with the VIE, and (4) how an enterprise's involvement with the VIE affects the enterprise's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. Describes procedure if disclosures are provided in more than one note to the financial statements. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51801978&loc=d3e6003-108592 + Details
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