NOTE 15. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

Environmental Matters

 

A majority of the properties we acquire, including land, are subjected to environmental reviews either by us or the previous owners. In addition, we may incur environmental remediation costs associated with certain land parcels we acquire in connection with the development of the land. We have acquired certain properties that may have been leased to or previously owned by companies that discharged hazardous materials. We establish a liability at the time of acquisition to cover such costs and adjust the liabilities as appropriate when additional information becomes available. We record our environmental liabilities in Other Liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We purchase various environmental insurance policies to mitigate our exposure to environmental liabilities. We are not aware of any environmental liabilities that would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Liabilities

 

We have entered into agreements, principally performance and surety bonds and standby letters of credit in connection with certain development and renewable energy projects. These agreements are commonly required by public agencies, including utilities, from real estate and renewable energy asset developers. They are renewable and expire on the completion of the improvements and infrastructure. We typically enter into performance and surety bonds that have terms of four years and standby letters of credit that have terms of a year to an indefinite period of time. At December 31, 2025 and 2024, we had $739.5 million and $684.1 million, respectively, outstanding under such arrangements.

 

We may be required under capital commitments or may choose to make additional capital contributions to certain of our unconsolidated entities, representing our proportionate ownership interest, if needed to fund development or acquisition costs, repayment of debt or operational shortfalls. At December 31, 2025, we did not guarantee any third-party debt of the unconsolidated co-investment ventures. See Note 4 for further discussion related to equity commitments to our unconsolidated co-investment ventures.

 

Litigation

 

From time to time, we are party to a variety of legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. We believe that, with respect to any such matters that we are currently a party to, the ultimate disposition of any such matter will not have material adverse effect on our business, financial position or results of operations.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Feb 13, 2026Showing above
2024Feb 14, 2025
2023Feb 13, 2024
2022Feb 14, 2023
2021Feb 9, 2022
2020Feb 11, 2021
2019Feb 11, 2020
2018Feb 13, 2019
2017Feb 15, 2018
2016Feb 15, 2017
2015Feb 19, 2016

About Commitments Disclosures

Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.

Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.