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Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2015
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 from 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 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. Our homebuilding work is performed by subcontractors that typically must agree to indemnify us with regard to their work and provide us with certificates of insurance demonstrating that they have met our insurance requirements and that we are named as an additional insured under their policies. Therefore, many claims relating to workmanship and materials that result in warranty spending are the primary responsibility of these subcontractors. In addition, we maintain insurance coverage related to our construction efforts that can result in recoveries of warranty and construction defect costs above certain specified limits. Our warranty reserves are included in other liabilities on our unaudited consolidated balance sheets and the provision for warranty accruals is included in home construction expenses in our unaudited consolidated statements of income. We record reserves covering anticipated warranty expense for each home we close. 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 division. An analysis by division 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 included in our historical data and trends. While we adjust our estimated warranty liabilities each reporting period to the extent required as a result of our quarterly analyses, historical data and trends may not accurately predict actual warranty costs which could lead to a significant change in the reserve. Changes in our warranty reserves are as follows for the periods presented:
| Three Months Ended
| December 31,
(In thousands) | 2015 |  | 2014
Balance at beginning of period | $ | 27,681 |  |  | $ | 16,084 |
Accruals for warranties issued (a) | 2,615 |  |  | 1,525 |
Changes in liability related to warranties existing in prior periods (b) | 10,600 |  |  | 14,230 |
Payments made (b) | (11,983 | ) |  | (4,612 | )
Balance at end of period | $ | 28,913 |  |  | $ | 27,227 |
(a) Accruals for warranties issued is a function of the number of home closings in the period, the average selling prices of the homes closed and the rates of accrual per home estimated as a percentage of the selling price of the home. The increase in the amount of accrual in the current three-month period compared to the comparable prior-year period is due to an increase in the number of closings in the current period and the sales prices of homes closed in the respective periods, as well as increases in certain divisions' accrual rates. (b) Changes in liability related to warranties existing and payments made in both periods is higher than historical trends due to charges and subsequent payments related to water intrusion issues in certain of our communities located in Florida. Refer to separate discussion of these issues below. Florida and New Jersey Water Intrusion Issues In the latter portion of fiscal 2014, we began to experience an increase in calls from homeowners reporting stucco and water intrusion issues in certain of our communities in Florida and one community in New Jersey. These issues continued to be reported to us in Florida throughout our fiscal 2015 and into the first quarter of our fiscal 2016. In New Jersey, while the calls were initially isolated to one community, we received calls from a second community with similar issues during the current quarter. Through December 31, 2015, we have cumulatively recorded $41.1 million in charges related to these issues, of which $39.6 million related to the communities in Florida and $1.5 million related to the two communities in New Jersey. Refer to discussion below for further detail. Florida. The water intrusion issues in Florida (the Florida stucco issues) relate to stucco installation in multiple communities that first became known during our fiscal 2014. Other builders were also dealing with stucco issues, some of which received local media coverage. Throughout fiscal 2015, with many homeowners seeing an increased level of warranty-related activities occurring in their communities, the number of stucco and water-related warranty calls in Florida increased significantly. This led us to expand the scope of our inspections, including to homes and communities from which no warranty calls had been received. This enhanced review, together with our growing experience repairing homes previously identified, resulted in us determining that more homes and communities in Florida were likely to be adversely affected. Based on all of these activities and our resulting analysis, we recorded additional warranty expense of $26.3 million during the year ended September 30, 2015 related to the Florida stucco issues (of which $13.6 million was recorded in the first quarter), in addition to the $4.3 million recorded during fiscal 2014. As of September 30, 2015, the accrual to cover outstanding payments and potential repair costs for the impacted homes was $14.5 million, after considering the repair costs already paid. During the first quarter of fiscal 2016, we received additional homeowner calls beyond those anticipated based on our procedures and previous call hist ory and further revised our cost estimates, causing us to record additional warranty expense related to the Florida stucco issues of $9.0 million. As of December 31, 2015, 599 homes have been identified as likely to require repairs (an increase of 67 homes that were anticipated to require repairs as of the end of our fiscal 2015), of which 238 homes have been repaired. We consider warranty-related repairs for homes to be resolved when all repairs are complete and all repair costs are fully paid. We made payments related to the Florida stucco issues of $8.8 million during the three months ended December 31, 2015 (including payments on fully repaired homes, as well as payments on homes for which remediation is not yet complete), bringing the remaining accrual to $14.7 million as of December 31, 2015, which is included in our overall warranty liability detailed above. Our assessment of the Florida stucco issues is ongoing. As a result, we anticipate that our assessment as to the ultimate magnitude of our liability may change as additional information is obtained. Certain visual and other inspections of the homes that could be subject to defect often do not reveal the severity or extent of the defects, which can only be discovered once we receive a homeowner call and begin repairs. We believe that we will recover a portion of our repair costs related to the Florida stucco issues from various sources, including the subcontractors involved with the construction of these homes and their insurers; however, no amounts related to subcontractor recoveries have been recorded in our unaudited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2015. All of the current quarter charges were fully offset by additional insurance recoveries from our third-party insurance; for a discussion of the amounts we have already recovered or anticipate recovering from our insurer, refer to “Insurance Recoveries” section below. New Jersey. Initially, the water intrusion issues in New Jersey related to flashing and stone installation in one specific community, for which we recorded $0.6 million in charges during our fiscal 2014. During the first three months of fiscal 2016, we began to receive homeowner calls related to one additional community citing similar issues, causing us to inspect the homes within the community and record an additional reserve of $0.9 million, which is also included in our overall warranty liability as of December 31, 2015. Similar to the Florida stucco issues discussed above, the costs recorded during the current quarter were fully offset by additional insurance recoveries from our third-party insurance, which is described below. Insurance Recoveries The Company has third-party insurance that provides for the reimbursement of certain warranty costs incurred by us above a specified threshold for each period covered. We have surpassed these thresholds for certain contract years, particularly those that cover most of the homes impacted by the water intrusion issues discussed above. As such, we expect a substantial majority of additional costs incurred after the first quarter of our fiscal 2015 for further warranty work on homes within these contract years to be reimbursed by our insurer. Warranty expense beyond the thresholds set in our insurance contracts was recorded related to homes impacted by the Florida stucco issues and the water intrusion issues in New Jersey, as well as other various warranty issues, resulting in our recognition of $16.5 million in insurance recoveries during the three months ended December 31, 2015 that we deem probable of receiving. No such recovery amounts were recorded in the first quarter of our fiscal 2015. Amounts recorded for anticipated insurance recoveries are reflected within our unaudited consolidated statements of income as a reduction of our home construction expenses, and associated amounts not yet received from our insurer were recorded on a gross basis (i.e. not net of any associated warranty expense) as a receivable within accounts receivable on our unaudited consolidated balance sheet. As of December 31, 2015, we have cumulatively recorded $35.4 million in insurance recoveries related to exhausted insurance policy years. We have received multiple payments under these policies from our insurance provider during fiscal 2015 and during the three months ended December 31, 2015, reducing our insurance recovery receivable to $13.7 million as of December 31, 2015. The recoveries recorded during the current quarter completely offset the expense recorded during the current quarter related to the water intrusion issues in New Jersey. Related to the Florida stucco issues, recoveries recorded during the current quarter were $3.6 million greater than the underlying current period expense of $9.0 million (for a total recovery of $12.6 million), as we began to recover more costs than initially anticipated. The remaining insurance recovery amount beyond the water intrusion issues in New Jersey and the Florida stucco issues relates to expenditures for warranty issues that are individually immaterial but are also in excess of our insurance thresholds. Amounts still to be recovered under our insurance policies will vary based on whether expected additional warranty costs are actually incurred for periods for which our threshold has already been met. As a result, we anticipate the balance of our established receivable for insurance recoveries to fluctuate for potential future reimbursements, as well as the amounts ultimately owed to us from our insurer. Litigation From time-to-time, we have received claims from institutions that have acquired mortgages originated by our subsidiary, Beazer Mortgage Corporation (BMC), demanding damages or indemnity arising from BMC's activities or that we repurchase such mortgages. BMC stopped originating mortgages in 2008. We have been able to resolve these claims at no cost or for amounts that are not material to our consolidated financial statements. 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. At this time, we do not believe that the exposure related to any such claims would be material to our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. As of December 31, 2015, 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 these lawsuits or the effect that any adverse findings or determinations in 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 these 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 adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Other Matters On July 1, 2009, we entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement and associated Bill of Information (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 (the HUD Agreement) and the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice. We have satisfied our obligations under the DPA and in July 2014 the United States District Court for the Western Division of North Carolina dismissed the Bill of Information. However, under these agreements, we are obligated to make payments equal to 4% of “adjusted EBITDA,” as defined in the agreements, until the earlier 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 December 31, 2015, we have paid a cumulative $28.1 million related to the DPA and the HUD Agreement. Additionally, we have a liability of $8.6 million recorded on our unaudited consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015 related to the DPA and the HUD Agreement, $1.2 million of which was accrued for during the three months ended December 31, 2015. 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 in 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 $13.6 million and $12.6 million in other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets related to litigation and other matters, excluding warranty, as of December 31, 2015 and September 30, 2015, respectively. We had outstanding letters of credit and performance bonds of approximately $43.2 million and $188.6 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2015, related principally to our obligations to local governments to construct roads and other improvements in various developments. We have an immaterial amount of outstanding letters of credit relating to our land option contracts as of December 31, 2015.

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