Commitments and contingencies (Details) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2015 shareholder	Jun. 30, 2017 property	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) property
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of properties agreed to acquire from seller		1,992
Martin v. Altisource Residential Corporation et al. [Member] | Pending litigation
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of shareholders requesting to be lead plaintiff | shareholder	2
Amherst Acquisition | Main Street Renewal, LLC (MSR)
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of additional properties permitted services, per agreement			3,000
Liquidation fee, required to be paid by company upon properties liquidated exceeding 50% | $			$ 60
Percentage of properties liquidated triggering fee paid per agreement			50.00%
Period considered for liquidation fee requirements per agreement			18 months