Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

The Partnership's financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP").

Use of Estimates

Preparation of the Partnership's financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

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 operating 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.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Partnership considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents include cash and short-term investments. Short-term investments are stated at cost, which approximates fair value and consist of investments in money market accounts.

Other Assets

Other assets are comprised of prepaid expenses and withholding taxes reimbursable from the limited partners. Prepaid expenses are recognized as the related services are provided. Balances without a future economic benefit are written off as they are identified.

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.

Income Taxes

The Partnership is not subject to federal or state income taxes; therefore, none have been provided for in the accompanying financial statements. The partners are required to include their respective shares of profits and losses in their individual income tax returns.

Recent Accounting Pronouncement

In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update 2011-04, Fair Value Measurement Topic Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRS ("ASU 2011-04"). ASU 2011-04 converges the GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards definition of "fair value," the requirements for measuring amounts at fair value, and disclosures about these measurements. The update does not require additional fair value measurements and is not intended to establish valuation standards or affect valuation practices outside of financial reporting. The adoption of ASU 2011-04 was effective for the Partnership for the period beginning January 1, 2012. The adoption of ASU 2011-04 has not had a material impact on the Partnership's financial statements or disclosures.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for all significant accounting policies of the reporting entity.

+ References+ Details

WELLS REAL ESTATE FUND XII LP 10-K