Earnings per Share / Unit - Computation of Earnings per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Numerator:
Net income	$ 33,091	$ 21,525
Less:
Noncontrolling interest	3,026	1,114
Dividends on preferred shares/Preferred distributions	13,782	14,597
Allocation to participating securities	31	23
Numerator for basic income per common share/units - basic and diluted	$ 16,252	$ 5,791
Denominator
Weighted-average common shares outstanding - basic (in shares)	296,833,755	286,183,429
Effect of dilutive securities:
Share-based compensation plan (in shares)	611,186	544,434
Weighted-average common shares outstanding - diluted (in shares)	297,444,941	286,727,863
Net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders/unitholders per share/unit
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.05	$ 0.02
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.05	$ 0.02
American Homes 4 Rent, L.P.
Numerator:
Net income	$ 33,091	$ 21,525
Less:
Noncontrolling interest	0	(11)
Dividends on preferred shares/Preferred distributions	13,782	14,597
Allocation to participating securities	31	23
Numerator for basic income per common share/units - basic and diluted	$ 19,278	$ 6,916
Denominator
Weighted-average common units outstanding - basic (in shares)	352,000,581	341,533,582
Effect of dilutive securities:
Share-based compensation plan (in shares)	611,186	544,434
Weighted-average common units outstanding - diluted (in shares)	352,611,767	342,078,016
Net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders/unitholders per share/unit
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.05	$ 0.02
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.05	$ 0.02