2.4.0.8010010 - Disclosure - Business and Organizationtruefalsefalse1false falsefalseFROM_Jan01_2013_TO_Jun30_2013http://www.sec.gov/CIK0001025378duration2013-01-01T00:00:002013-06-30T00:00:001true 1us-gaap_OrganizationConsolidationAndPresentationOfFinancialStatementsAbstractus-gaap_truenadurationfalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalse1falsefalsefalse00falsefalsefalsexbrli:stringItemTypestringfalse0Business Organization and Basis of Presentation2false 2us-gaap_NatureOfOperationsus-gaap_truenadurationfalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalseverboseLabel1falsefalsefalse00W. P. Carey Inc. (“W. P. Carey” and, together with its consolidated subsidiaries and predecessors, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that seeks to achieve superior, risk-adjusted returns by providing long-term net-lease financing via sale-leaseback and build-to-suit transactions for companies worldwide. We invest primarily in commercial properties domestically and internationally. We earn revenue principally by leasing the properties we own to single corporate tenants, primarily on a triple-net leased basis, which requires each tenant to pay substantially all of the costs associated with operating and maintaining the property. We also earn revenue as the advisor to publicly-owned, non-listed REITs. We have sponsored a series of sixteen income-generating funds that invest in commercial real estate, under the Corporate Property Associates brand name (the “CPA® REITs”). We are currently the advisor to Corporate Property Associates 16 – Global Incorporated (“CPA®:16 – Global”), Corporate Property Associates 17 – Global Incorporated (“CPA®:17 – Global”) and Corporate Property Associates 18 – Global Incorporated (“CPA®:18 – Global”). We are also the advisor to Carey Watermark Investors Incorporated (“CWI” and, together with CPA®:16 – Global and CPA®:17 – Global, the “Managed REITs”), which invests in lodging and lodging-related properties. We were formed as a corporation under the laws of Maryland on February 15, 2012. On September 28, 2012, Corporate Property Associates 15 Incorporated (“CPA®:15”) merged with and into us, with CPA®:15 surviving as an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of ours (the “CPA®:15 Merger”). In connection with the CPA®:15 Merger, W. P. Carey & Co. LLC, our predecessor, which was formed under the laws of Delaware on July 15, 1996, completed an internal reorganization whereby our predecessor and its subsidiaries merged with and into us with W. P. Carey as the surviving corporation, succeeding to and continuing to operate the existing business of our predecessor (“REIT Reorganization”). Upon completion of the CPA®:15 Merger and the REIT Reorganization, the shares of our predecessor were delisted from the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and canceled, and our common stock became listed on the NYSE under the same symbol, “WPC.” Primary Reportable Segments Real Estate Ownership — We own and invest in commercial properties primarily in the United States (“U.S.”) and Europe that are leased to companies, primarily on a triple-net lease basis. At June 30, 2013, our portfolio was comprised of our full or partial ownership interest in 423 properties. Substantially all of these properties, totaling approximately 39.5 million square feet, were net leased to 123 tenants, with an occupancy rate of approximately 98.9%. Collectively, at June 30, 2013, the Managed REITs owned all or a portion of over 700 properties, including certain properties in which we have an ownership interest. Substantially all of these properties, totaling approximately 77.3 million square feet, were net leased to 216 tenants, with an average occupancy rate of approximately 98.8%. We earn lease revenues from our wholly-owned and co-owned real estate investments. In addition, we generate equity income through our investments in the shares of the Managed REITs (Note 6). Through our special member interests in the operating partnerships of the Managed REITs, we also participate in their cash flows (Note 3). Lastly, we earn other real estate revenues through our investments in self-storage facilities and a hotel in the U.S. Investment Management — We earn revenue as the advisor to the Managed REITs. Under the respective advisory agreements with each of the Managed REITs, we perform various services, including the day-to-day management of the Managed REITs and transaction-related services. We structure and negotiate investments and debt placement transactions for the Managed REITs, for which we earn structuring revenue, and manage their portfolios of real estate investments, for which we earn asset management revenue.  We generate acquisition revenue when we structure and negotiate investments and related financing for the Managed REITs. We may also be entitled, subject to the approval by the boards of directors of certain of the Managed REITs, to fees for structuring loan refinancings. This loan refinancing revenue, together with the acquisition revenue, is referred to as structuring revenue. We earn ongoing asset management revenue from each Managed REIT, which is based on average invested assets and is calculated according to the advisory agreement for each Managed REIT. We may also earn revenue related to the disposition of properties, subject to subordination provisions, which will only be recognized as the relevant conditions are met. Such revenue may include subordinated disposition revenue when assets are sold as well as a percentage of the net cash proceeds distributable to stockholders from the disposition of properties, after recoupment by stockholders of their initial investment plus a specified preferred return. We may earn incentive or termination revenue in connection with providing liquidity to the stockholders of the Managed REITs, although these events do not occur every year. However, in the event they do occur, we may waive the incentive or termination fee we would have been entitled to receive from the Managed REITs pursuant to the terms of our advisory agreements with the Managed REITs, which was the case in the CPA®:15 Merger and will be the case under the terms of the merger agreement between us and CPA®:16 – Global (Note 15). We will not receive a termination payment in circumstances where we receive incentive revenue. falsefalsefalsenonnum:textBlockItemTypenaThe entire disclosure for the nature of an entity's business, the major products or services it sells or provides and its principal markets, including the locations of those markets. If the entity operates in more than one business, the disclosure also indicates the relative importance of its operations in each business and the basis for the determination (for example, assets, revenues, or earnings).Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6927468&loc=d3e6003-108592 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher AICPA -Name Statement of Position (SOP) -Number 94-6 -Paragraph 10 -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. false0BusinessfalseBusiness and OrganizationUnKnownUnKnownUnKnownUnKnowntruefalsefalseSheethttp://www.wpcarey.com/role/BusinessAndOrganization12