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Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Contingencies | Contingencies Beazer Homes and certain of its subsidiaries have been and continue to be named as defendants in various construction defect claims, complaints and other legal actions. The Company is subject to the possibility of loss contingencies arising in its business. In determining loss contingencies, we consider the likelihood of loss as well as the ability to reasonably estimate the amount of such loss or liability. An estimated loss is recorded when it is considered probable that a liability has been incurred and when the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. Warranty Reserves. We currently provide a limited warranty (ranging from one to two years) covering workmanship and materials per our defined performance quality standards. In addition, we provide a limited warranty (generally ranging from a minimum of five years up to the period covered by the applicable statute of repose) covering only certain defined construction defects. We also provide a defined structural element warranty with single-family homes and townhomes in certain states. We subcontract our homebuilding work to subcontractors whose contracts generally include an indemnity obligation and a requirement that certain minimum insurance requirements be met, including providing us with a certificate of insurance prior to receiving payments for their work. Therefore, many claims relating to workmanship and materials are the primary responsibility of the subcontractors. Warranty reserves are included in other liabilities and the provision for warranty accruals is included in home construction and land sales expenses in the consolidated financial statements. We record reserves covering anticipated warranty expense for each home closed. Management reviews the adequacy of warranty reserves each reporting period based on historical experience and management’s estimate of the costs to remediate the claims and adjusts these provisions accordingly. Our review includes a quarterly analysis of the historical data and trends in warranty expense by operating segment. An analysis by operating segment allows us to consider market specific factors such as our warranty experience, the number of home closings, the prices of homes, product mix and other data in estimating our warranty reserves. In addition, our analysis also contemplates the existence of any non-recurring or community-specific warranty related matters that might not be contemplated in our historical data and trends. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, we recorded $4.9 million in charges related to water intrusion problems in homes in certain of our communities located in Florida and New Jersey with an average age in excess of 7 years. The issues in Florida related to water intrusion problems arising from stucco installation on specific home elevations in several communities. The water intrusion issues in New Jersey related to flashing and stone installation in one specific community. We consider these charges were unexpected in nature and are not expected to be recurring. We believe it is possible that we will recover a portion of our total estimated repair costs associated with the affected homes from various sources, including subcontractors involved with the original construction of the homes and their insurers. However, we have not yet been able to determine with any reasonable degree of certainty whether we will be able to successfully recover such amounts. As a result, we did not deem any recoveries from outside sources to be probable. Our investigation into the water intrusion-related issues, including the process of determining responsible parties and our efforts to obtain recoveries, are ongoing, and as a result, our estimates of warranty costs and probable recoveries may change as additional information is obtained. As a result of our quarterly analyses, we adjust our estimated warranty liabilities if required. While we believe our warranty reserves are adequate as of September 30, 2014, historical data and trends may not accurately predict actual warranty costs or future developments could lead to a significant change in the reserve. Our warranty reserves are as follows (in thousands):
| Fiscal Year Ended September 30,
| 2014 |  | 2013 |  | 2012
Balance at beginning of period | $ | 11,663 |  |  | $ | 15,477 |  |  | $ | 17,916 |
Accruals for warranties issued | 6,087 |  |  | 5,897 |  |  | 6,540 |
Changes in liability related to warranties existing in prior periods | 9,836 |  |  | (2,856 | ) |  | (2,677 | )
Payments made | (11,502 | ) |  | (6,855 | ) |  | (6,302 | )
Balance at end of period | $ | 16,084 |  |  | $ | 11,663 |  |  | $ | 15,477 |
Litigation As disclosed in prior SEC filings, we operated Beazer Mortgage Corporation (BMC) from 1998 through February 2008 to offer mortgage financing to buyers of our homes. BMC entered into various agreements with mortgage investors, pursuant to which BMC originated certain mortgage loans and ultimately sold these loans to investors. In general, underwriting decisions were not made by BMC but by the investors themselves or third-party service providers. From time to time we have received claims from institutions which have acquired certain of these mortgages demanding damages or indemnity arising from BMC's activities or that we repurchase such mortgages. We have been able to resolve these claims for amounts that are not material to our consolidated financial position or results of operation. We currently have an insignificant number of such claims outstanding for which we believe we have no liability. However, we cannot rule out the potential for additional mortgage loan repurchase or indemnity claims in the future from other investors, although, at this time, we do not believe that the exposure related to any such claims would be material to our consolidated financial position, cash flows or results of operations. As of September 30, 2014, no liability has been recorded for any such additional claims as such exposure is not both probable and reasonably estimable. In the normal course of business, we are subject to various lawsuits. We cannot predict or determine the timing or final outcome of the lawsuits or the effect that any adverse findings or determinations in the pending lawsuits may have on us. In addition, an estimate of possible loss or range of loss, if any, cannot presently be made with respect to certain of the above pending matters. An unfavorable determination in any of the pending lawsuits could result in the payment by us of substantial monetary damages which may not be fully covered by insurance. Further, the legal costs associated with the lawsuits and the amount of time required to be spent by management and the Board of Directors on these matters, even if we are ultimately successful, could have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Other Matters On July 1, 2009, we entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (the “DPA”) with the United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina and a separate but related agreement with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice (the HUD Agreement). Under these agreements, we are obligated to make payments equal to 4% of “adjusted EBITDA” as defined in the Agreements until the first to occur of (a) September 30, 2016 or (b) the date that a cumulative $48.0 million has been paid pursuant to the DPA and the HUD Agreement. As of September 30, 2014, we have paid a cumulative $22.7 million and an additional $2.1 million has been recorded as a liability. In 2006, we received two Administrative Orders issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The Orders allege certain violations of wetlands disturbance permits and assess proposed fines of $630,000 and $678,000, respectively. Although we believe that we have significant defenses to the alleged violations, we reached a settlement with the Department, through an Administrative Consent Order (the “ACO”). Pursuant to the ACO, we agreed to pay a penalty of $125,000 and donate a 35-acre parcel of land to a local soil conservation district (or make an additional $250,000 payment if the parcel cannot be conveyed). We have paid the $125,000 penalty and are in the process of completing actions that will allow us to convey the 35-acre donation parcel. We and certain of our subsidiaries have been named as defendants in various claims, complaints and other legal actions, most relating to construction defects, moisture intrusion and product liability. Certain of the liabilities resulting from these actions are covered in whole or part by insurance. In our opinion, based on our current assessment, the ultimate resolution of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. We have accrued $13.4 million and $19.9 million in other liabilities related to litigation and other matters, excluding warranty, as of September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. We had outstanding letters of credit and performance bonds of approximately $39.1 million and $221.1 million, respectively, at September 30, 2014 related principally to our obligations to local governments to construct roads and other improvements in various developments. We have no outstanding letters of credit relating to our land option contracts as of September 30, 2014.

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