Deferred costs and other intangibles (Details 2) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Deferred costs and other intangibles
Amortization expense	$ 3.2	$ 4.1
Amortization of deferred financing costs	$ 2.0	$ 0.6

The aggregate amount of amortization of intangible assets and deferred leasing fees.

No definition available.

Name:	amh_AmortizationOfIntangibleAssetsAndDeferredLeasingFees
Namespace Prefix:	amh_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration