Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018 USD ($) ft² ShoppingCenter	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Contingencies And Commitments [Line Items]
Property insurance receivable	$ 0			$ 0		$ 58,583
Rental revenues lost and not recognized			$ 6,600
Insurance proceeds related to business interruption insurance claims	$ 1,784	$ 0		$ 6,884	$ 0
Retail Value Inc. [Member] | Puerto Rico [Member]
Contingencies And Commitments [Line Items]
Number of properties owned | ShoppingCenter			12
Gross leasable area of properties owned | ft²			4,400,000
Retail Value Inc. [Member] | Puerto Rico [Member] | Loss from Catastrophes [Member]
Contingencies And Commitments [Line Items]
Number of assets sustained varying degrees of damage | ShoppingCenter			11
Estimated net book value of the property damage written-off			$ 78,800
Property insurance receivable			49,200
Remaining insurance receivable related to expenses			$ 1,200
Business interruption insurance coverage period after restoration				365 days
Retail Value Inc. [Member] | Puerto Rico [Member] | Loss from Catastrophes [Member] | Plaza Palma Real [Member]
Contingencies And Commitments [Line Items]
Number of properties owned that was severely damaged | ShoppingCenter			1
Gross leasable area of properties owned that was severely damaged | ft²			400,000