Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

The financial statements of the Partnership have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, including the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X, and in accordance with such rules and regulations, do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for complete financial statements. In the opinion of the General Partners, the statements for the unaudited interim periods presented include all adjustments that are of a normal and recurring nature and necessary to fairly and consistently present the results for these periods. Results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of full-year results.

Investments in Joint Ventures

Investment in Joint Ventures

The Partnership has evaluated the Joint Ventures and concluded that none are variable interest entities. The Partnership does not have control over the operations of the Joint Ventures; however, it does exercise significant influence. Approval by the Partnership as well as the other joint venture partners is required for any major decision or any action that would materially affect the Joint Ventures or their real property investments. Accordingly, the Partnership accounts for its investments in the Joint Ventures using the equity method of accounting, whereby original investments are recorded at cost and subsequently adjusted for contributions, distributions, and net income (loss) attributable to the Partnership. Pursuant to the terms of the joint venture agreements, all income (loss) and distributions are allocated to joint venture partners in accordance with their respective ownership interests. Distributions of net cash from operations, if available, are generally distributed to the joint venture partners on a quarterly basis.

Evaluating the Recoverability of Real Estate Assets

The Partnership continually monitors events and changes in circumstances that could indicate that the carrying amounts of the real estate assets owned through the Partnership's investment in the Joint Ventures may not be recoverable. When indicators of potential impairment are present which suggest that the carrying amounts of real estate assets may not be recoverable, management assesses the recoverability of the real estate assets by determining whether the respective carrying values will be recovered through the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition for assets held for use, or with the estimated fair values, less costs to sell, for assets held for sale. In the event that the expected undiscounted future cash flows for assets held for use, or the estimated fair value, less costs to sell, for assets held for sale do not exceed the respective asset carrying value, management adjusts the real estate assets to their respective estimated fair values, pursuant to the provisions of the property, plant, and equipment accounting standard for the impairment or disposal of long-lived assets, and recognizes an impairment loss. Estimated fair values are determined based on the following information, dependent upon availability: (i) recently quoted market price(s) for the subject property, or highly comparable properties, under sufficiently active and normal market conditions, or (ii) the present value of future cash flows, including estimated residual value. The Partnership has determined that there have been no additional impairments in the carrying value of any of its real estate assets; however, certain of the Partnership's assets may be carried at an amount more than could be realized in a current disposition transaction.

While various techniques and assumptions can be used to estimate fair value depending on the nature of the asset or liability, the accounting standard for fair value measurements and disclosures describes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value. Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Partnership has the ability to access. Level 2 inputs are inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 2 inputs may include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, as well as inputs that are observable for the asset or liability (other than quoted prices), such as interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and yield curves that are observable at commonly quoted intervals. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, which are typically based on an entity's own assumptions, as little, if any, related market activity or information is available. Examples of Level 3 inputs include estimated holding periods, discount rates, market capitalization rates, expected lease rental rates, timing of new leases, and sales prices; additionally, the Partnership may assign an estimated probability-weighting to more than one fair value estimate based on the Partnership's assessment of the likelihood of the respective underlying assumptions occurring as of the evaluation date. In instances where the determination of the fair value measurement is based on inputs from different levels of the fair value hierarchy, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the entire fair value measurement falls is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The Partnership's assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and consideration of factors specific to the asset or liability.

Projections of expected future cash flows require that the Partnership estimate future market rental income amounts subsequent to the expiration of current lease agreements, property operating expenses, the number of months it takes to re-lease the property, and the number of years the property is held for investment, among other factors. The subjectivity of assumptions used in the future cash flow analysis, including discount rates, could result in an incorrect assessment of the property's future cash flows and fair value, and could result in the misstatement of the carrying value of real estate assets held by the Joint Ventures and net income (loss) of the Partnership.

Distribution of Net Cash from Operations

Net cash from operations, if available and unless reserved, is generally distributed quarterly to the limited partners as follows:


•	First, to all Cash Preferred limited partners on a per-unit basis until each limited partner has received distributions equal to a 10% per annum return on his respective net capital contributions, as defined.


•	Second, to the General Partners until the General Partners receive distributions equal to 10% of the total cumulative distributions paid by the Partnership to date.


•	Third, to the Cash Preferred limited partners on a per-unit basis and the General Partners allocated on a basis of 90% and 10%, respectively.

No distributions of net cash from operations will be made to limited partners holding Tax Preferred Units.

Distribution of Net Sale Proceeds

Upon the sale of properties, unless reserved, net sale proceeds will be distributed in the following order:

•

In the event that the particular property sold is sold for a price that is less than the original property purchase price, to the limited partners holding Cash Preferred Units until they have received an amount equal to the excess of the original property purchase price over the price for which the property was sold, limited to the amount of depreciation, amortization, and cost recovery deductions taken by the limited partners holding Tax Preferred Units with respect to such property;


•	To limited partners holding units which at any time have been treated as Tax Preferred Units until each limited partner has received an amount necessary to equal the net cash available for distribution previously received by the limited partners holding Cash Preferred Units on a per-unit basis;


•	To limited partners on a per-unit basis until each limited partner has received 100% of his net capital contributions, as defined;


•	To all limited partners on a per-unit basis until each limited partner has received a cumulative 10% per annum return on his net capital contributions, as defined;

•

To limited partners on a per-unit basis until each limited partner has received an amount equal to his preferential limited partner return (defined as the sum of a 10% per annum cumulative return on net capital contributions for all periods during which the units were treated as Cash Preferred Units and a 15% per annum cumulative return on net capital contributions for all periods during which the units were treated as Tax Preferred Units);


•	To the General Partners until they have received 100% of their capital contributions, as defined;

•

Then, if limited partners have received any excess limited partner distributions (defined as distributions to limited partners over the life of their investment in the Partnership in excess of their net capital contributions, as defined, plus their preferential limited partner return), to the General Partners until they have received distributions equal to 20% of the sum of any such excess limited partner distributions plus distributions made to the General Partners pursuant to this provision; and


•	Thereafter, 80% to the limited partners on a per-unit basis and 20% to the General Partners.

Allocations of Net Income, Net Loss, and Gain on Sale

For the purpose of determining allocations per the partnership agreement, net income is defined as net income recognized by the Partnership, excluding deductions for depreciation, amortization, and cost recovery and the gain on the sale of assets. Net income, as defined, of the Partnership will be allocated each year in the same proportion that net cash from operations is distributed to the partners holding Cash Preferred Units and the General Partners. To the extent the Partnership's net income in any year exceeds net cash from operations, such excess net income will be allocated 99% to the limited partners holding Cash Preferred Units and 1% to the General Partners.

Net loss, depreciation, amortization, and cost recovery deductions for each fiscal year will be allocated as follows: (a) 99% to the limited partners holding Tax Preferred Units and 1% to the General Partners until their capital accounts are reduced to zero; (b) then, to any partner having a positive balance in his capital account in an amount not to exceed such positive balance; and (c) thereafter, to the General Partners.

Gain on the sale or exchange of the Partnership's properties will be allocated generally in the same manner that the net proceeds from such sale are distributed to partners after the following allocations are made, if applicable: (a) allocations made pursuant to the qualified income offset provisions of the partnership agreement; (b) allocations to partners having negative capital accounts until all negative capital accounts have been restored to zero; and (c) allocations to limited partners holding Tax Preferred Units in amounts equal to the deductions for depreciation, amortization, and cost recovery previously allocated to them with respect to the specific property sold, but not in excess of the amount of gain on sale recognized by the Partnership with respect to the sale of such property.

Recent Accounting Pronouncement

In April 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update 2013-07, Presentation of Financial Statements: Topic Liquidation Basis of Accounting ("ASU 2013-07"). ASU 2013-07 requires an entity to prepare its financial statements using the liquidation basis of accounting when liquidation is imminent. Liquidation is considered imminent when the likelihood is remote that the organization will return from liquidation and either: (a) a plan for liquidation is approved by the person or persons with the authority to make such a plan effective and the likelihood is remote that the execution of the plan will be blocked by other parties; or (b) a plan for liquidation is being imposed by other forces. ASU 2013-07 will be effective for the Partnership beginning on January 1, 2014. The Partnership expects that the adoption of ASU 2013-07 will not have a material impact on its financial statements or disclosures.

- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for the equity method of accounting for investments in common stock or other interests including unconsolidated subsidiaries, corporate joint ventures, noncontrolling interests in real estate ventures, limited partnerships, and limited liability companies. The accounting policy may include information such as: (1) initially recording an investment in the stock of an investee at cost; (2) adjusting the carrying amount of the investment to recognize the investor's share of the earnings or losses of the investee after the date of acquisition; and (3) adjustments to reflect the investor's share of changes in the investee's capital (dividends). This disclosure may also include a detailed description of the policy for determining the amount of equity method losses recognized after an investment has been reduced to zero as a result of previous losses, reasons for not using the equity method when the investor company owns 20 percent or more of the voting stock of the investee's company (including identification of the significant investee), reasons for using the equity method when the ownership percentage is less than 20 percent, and discussion of recognition of equity method losses when an investor's total investment in an investee includes, in addition to an investment in common stock, other investments such as preferred stock and loans to the investee. An entity also may describe how such investments are assessed for impairment.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

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Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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+ Details

WELLS REAL ESTATE FUND XII LP 10-Q