Company: HOUS
Filing Date: 2025-02-25
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001398987-25-000020
Chunk: 194

Company: Anywhere Real Estate Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-02-25
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 194
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 More frequent and/or severe weather events and/or long-term shifts in climate patterns exacerbate these risks. Likewise, our business and operating results could suffer as the result of other catastrophic events, including public health crises, such as pandemics and epidemics. For example, the COVID-19 crisis contributed to material reductions in relocation volume and significant homesale transaction volume volatility in 2021. 

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Increasing governmental regulation and scrutiny from investors, customers and regulators with respect to corporate sustainability practices and reporting may impose additional costs on us or expose us to reputational or other risks.

In recent years, there has been increasing focus from certain investors, regulators and other stakeholders concerning corporate responsibility, specifically related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. State and federal laws and regulations have been enacted or proposed that expand mandatory and voluntary reporting, diligence, and disclosure on topics such as emissions and environmental/climate-related topics, human capital, labor and risk oversight, which could expand the nature, scope, and complexity of matters that we are required to control, assess and report. For example, in the fourth quarter of 2023, California enacted the California Climate Accountability Package, which is the first U.S. law to require certain companies with California operations to disclose greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related risks. Existing and proposed ESG-related regulations may increase the ongoing costs of compliance and adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows. If we are unable to adequately address such ESG matters or fail to comply with all laws, regulations, policies and related interpretations, it could negatively impact our reputation and our business results.

Some investors may use ESG factors to guide their investment strategies and, in some cases, may choose not to invest in us if they believe our related policies are inadequate. In addition, certain relocation clients have required that we implement certain additional ESG procedures or standards in order to continue to do business with us and additional clients may impose such requirements in the future. Meeting these evolving expectations could be costly and failure (or perceived failure) to satisfy investor, client, consumer or other stakeholder expectations and standards, could also cause reputational harm to our business and brands.

In addition, we may face increased scrutiny related to any actions or positions we could be viewed as taking in this space.  We could be subjected to negative responses (such as boycotts or negative publicity campaigns) by either proponents or detractors of any particular ESG-related topic, including activists and consumers, which could adversely affect our reputation and business.

Market forecasts and estimates, including our