Organization and Operations (Details) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) state single_family_property property	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Organization and operations
Number of states | state	22
Asset-backed securitization certificates | $	$ 25,666	$ 25,666
Stock exchange ratio	1
Single family homes
Organization and operations
Number of properties | single_family_property	52,552
Single family homes | Single-family properties identified as part of disposal group
Organization and operations
Number of properties | property	1,187
American Homes 4 Rent
Organization and operations
General partner ownership interest	85.20%	84.30%
Limited Partners
Organization and operations
Limited partnership interest	14.80%