DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS (Details)	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018 property tenant
Real estate properties
Number of real estate properties	1,200
Number of properties leased under triple net leases	468
Number of tenants \| tenant	3
Brookdale Senior Living
Real estate properties
Number of properties leased under triple net leases	135
Number of Brookdale Senior Living properties excluded from count	1
Ardent
Real estate properties
Number of properties leased under triple net leases	10
Kindred
Real estate properties
Number of properties leased under triple net leases	31
Development Projects
Real estate properties
Number of properties under development	16
Number of properties included in investments in unconsolidated entities	5
Seniors Housing Communities
Real estate properties
Number of independent third party managed properties	361

The number of real estate properties owned as of the balance sheet date.

No definition available.

Name:	us-gaap_NumberOfRealEstateProperties
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_RealEstatePropertiesLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Concentration Risk, Number of Tenants

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	vtr_ConcentrationRiskNumberofTenants
Namespace Prefix:	vtr_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The number of properties that are managed by the independent third party.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	vtr_NumberOfIndependentThirdPartyManagedProperties
Namespace Prefix:	vtr_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The number of properties owned that are leased to unaffiliated tenants under triple-net lease terms.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	vtr_NumberOfPropertiesLeasedUnderTripleNetLeases
Namespace Prefix:	vtr_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Number of Properties Under Development

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	vtr_NumberofPropertiesUnderDevelopment
Namespace Prefix:	vtr_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Number of properties managed by large tenant excluded from property count for that tenant due to contract type

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	vtr_Numberofpropertiesmanagedbylargetenantexcludedfrompropertycountforthattenantduetocontracttype
Namespace Prefix:	vtr_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Number of properties under development that are owned by unconsolidated real estate entities

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	vtr_Numberofpropertiesunderdevelopmentthatareownedbyunconsolidatedrealestateentities
Namespace Prefix:	vtr_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	vtr_PropertySubjectToOperatingLeaseByLessorAxis=vtr_BrookdaleSeniorLivingMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	vtr_PropertySubjectToOperatingLeaseByLessorAxis=vtr_ArdentMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	vtr_PropertySubjectToOperatingLeaseByLessorAxis=vtr_KindredMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_MortgageLoansOnRealEstateDescriptionTypeOfPropertyAxis=vtr_DevelopmentProjectsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_MortgageLoansOnRealEstateDescriptionTypeOfPropertyAxis=vtr_SeniorHousingCommunitiesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: