SEC Company Response from Brookfield Property Partners L.P. (BPYPM, BPYPN, BPYPO, BPYPP) (CIK 0001545772) (BPYPM) — Nov 7, 2016
Brookfield Property Partners L.P. (BPYPM, BPYPN, BPYPO, BPYPP) (CIK 0001545772)
Date: Nov. 7, 2016 · CIK: 0001545772 · Accession: 0001144204-16-132152
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 001-35505
Referenced dates: August 29, 2016, October 12, 2016
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Brookfield Property Partners
L.P.
73 Front Street, 5th Floor
Hamilton HM 12
Bermuda
Tel +411 294 3309
www.brookfieldpropertypartners.com
November 7, 2016
Via EDGAR and e-mail
Jennifer Monick
Office of Real Estate and Commodities
Securities and Exchange Commission
Mail Stop 3233
Washington, DC 20549
Re: Brookfield Property Partners L.P.
Form 20-F for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2015
Filed March 17, 2016
File No. 001-35505
Dear Ms. Monick:
Thank you for your letter dated October
12, 2016 and your comments contained therein (the “Comment Letter”). In my capacity as Chief Financial Officer
of the service provider to Brookfield Property Partners L.P. (the “company”), I am replying to the comments
raised by the Staff (the “Staff”) of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”)
in the Comment Letter on behalf of the company.
The company responds to your comments (which
we have repeated below in italics) as follows:
Form 20-F for the year ended December
31, 2015
Financial statements analysis, page
60
1. We note your response to our prior comment number one. Please explain to us how you determined
that a 5 basis point change in your discount and capitalization rates is appropriate for your sensitivity analysis.
Since December 31, 2014, the
weighted-average discount and capitalization rates used in the valuation models to determine the fair value of the company’s
consolidated commercial property portfolio historically changed by no more than 5 basis points between reporting periods. The company
will continue to monitor the variability in weighted average discount and capitalization rates and update the rates used in its
sensitivity analysis if there is a change in expectations of the range of reasonably possible changes in rates.
In response to comment one of
your letter dated August 29, 2016, the company provided proposed additional disclosure that included a sensitivity analysis based
on 5 basis point changes in discount and terminal capitalization rates used in discounted cash flow (“DCF”) valuation
models and a 5 basis point change in capitalization rates used in valuation models based on the direct capitalization approach.
The company acknowledges that
discount and capitalization rates on individual properties may vary by more than 5 basis points between reporting periods as a
result of property-specific, market-/location-specific and/or macroeconomic factors. However, the company’s portfolio spans
multiple property sectors and geographies. Consequently, the company believes that the impacts on the fair value resulting from
changes in the inputs to the valuation models used to calculate the fair value on certain properties located in one geography and/or
sector are counteracted by movements on other properties in different geographies and/or sectors when viewed on a portfolio-wide
basis.
2. Please tell us how you determined it was not necessary to include a sensitivity analysis based
on reasonably likely changes in significant unobservable inputs used in determining your estimated current year and expected future
cash flows. Please refer to paragraph 129 of IAS 1.
The company acknowledges that
paragraph 129 of IAS 1 provides examples of types of disclosures that an entity may make in respect of sources of estimation uncertainty
and included among these examples of disclosures is a sensitivity of carrying amounts to the methods, assumptions and estimates
underlying management calculations. The company does not believe that a sensitivity analysis based on changes in inputs used in
determining estimated future cash flows would help users of the financial statements understand the judgments that management makes
about future cash flows. The company reached this conclusion based on its methods for estimating fair values and its understanding
of the guidance cited in paragraph 129 of IAS 1 and IFRS 13.
The company values each of its
investment properties by undertaking one of two accepted income approach methods: (i) DCF and (ii) direct capitalization. DCF valuations
are based on expected future cash flows of the subject property. The expected future cash flows used in each valuation are based
on business plans for the subject property which are prepared in a decentralized organizational structure on a property by property
basis by the level of management responsible for the property. The expected future cash flows are based on a combination of observable
and unobservable inputs. Observable inputs in the expected future cash flows include contractual rental revenues, committed capital
expenditures, and leasing commissions and tenant allowances associated with executed leases. These inputs determine the majority
of future cash flows associated with our properties as evidenced by our long average contractual lease term, which in the case
of the company’s core office portfolio was 7.8 years as of December 31, 2015, as disclosed in the Annual Report filed on
Form 20-F, which means that, on average, 7.8 years of the 10 years of rental revenues generally included in DCF valuations was
contractual and fully observable. Unobservable inputs, none of which are considered by the company to be individually significant
to the entire fair value measurement, include operating expenses, operating expense recovery revenue and future leasing assumptions.
In estimating these unobservable inputs, members of management responsible for a given property will make assumptions about certain
inputs such as growth rates applied to market rents and inflation rates applied to operating expenses based on market activity
observed directly through transactions undertaken by the company and other sources of information.
Based on the detailed, property
by property method by which the company develops its expected future cash flows and since the majority of the cash flow is derived
from observable inputs, none of the unobservable inputs is individually significant to the entire fair value of the investment
properties balance.
The company believes that these
disclosure requirements are addressed by the following proposed disclosure provided in response to comment 1 of your letter dated
August 29, 2016:
“The determination of
fair value requires the use of estimates, which the partnership determines using external information and observable conditions,
where possible, in conjunction with internal analysis. There are currently no known trends, events or uncertainties that the partnership
reasonably believes could have a sufficiently pervasive impact across the partnership’s businesses to materially affect the
methodologies or assumptions utilized to determine the estimated fair values reflected in this report. Discount rates and capitalization
rates are inherently uncertain and may be impacted by, among other things, movements in interest rates in the geographies and markets
in which the assets are located. Changes in estimates of discount and capitalization rates across different geographies and markets
are often independent of each other and not necessarily in the same direction or of the same magnitude. Further, impacts to the
partnership’s fair values of commercial properties from changes in discount or capitalization rates and cash flows are usually
inversely correlated. Decreases (increases) in the discount rate or capitalization rate result in increases (decreases) of fair
value. Such decreases (increases) may be mitigated by decreases (increases) in cashflows included in the valuation analysis, as
circumstances that typically give rise to increased interest rates (e.g., strong economic growth, inflation) usually give rise
to increased cash flows at the asset level.”
Segment performance, page 68
3. We note your response to our prior comment number two. We continue to evaluate your response.
The company acknowledges that
the Staff will continue to consider the company’s response regarding disclosure of NOI from unconsolidated properties.
Notes to the consolidated financial
statements
Note 7. Investment Properties, page
F-27
4. It appears that estimated current year and expected future cash flows are used to determine
the fair values of your investment properties. Please clarify for us if any inputs into your estimated current year or expected
future cash flows are significant unobservable inputs. To the extent you have identified any additional inputs as significant unobservable
inputs, please revise future filings to provide quantitative information about these inputs in accordance with paragraph 93(d)
of IFRS 13. To the extent you have determined that there are not any additional significant unobservable inputs, please tell us
how you made that determination.
As noted in the response to
comment 2, the company determined that none of the unobservable inputs in determining expected future cash flows used to value
investment properties are individually significant. This determination was made based on the process the company follows to estimate
fair values of investment properties which is done on a property by property basis in a decentralized organizational structure
and includes expected future cash flows based on both observable and unobservable inputs.
On this basis, the company determined
it was not necessary to provide the quantitative information about significant unobservable inputs related to expected future cash
flows referred to in paragraph 93(d) of IFRS 13.
***
The company, in response to the request
contained in the Comment Letter, herby acknowledges that:
· the company is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in the filing;
· Staff comments or changes to disclosure in response to Staff comments do not foreclose the Commission
from taking any action with respect to the filing; and
· the company may not assert Staff comments as a defense in any proceeding initiated by the Commission
or any person under the federal securities laws of the United States.
If you have any questions or comments regarding
this letter, please call the undersigned at (212) 417-7166.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Bryan K. Davis
Bryan K. Davis
Chief Financial Officer
Brookfield Property Group LLC