Organization and Basis of Presentation (Details) shares in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016 property associated_center mixed_use_center state mall community_center subsidiary office_building shares
Consolidation, Less than Wholly Owned Subsidiary, Parent Ownership Interest, Effects of Changes, Net [Line Items]
Number of states in which entity operates | state	27
Number of regional malls/open-air centers in which interest is owned by the partnership	77
Number of associated centers in which interest is owned by the partnership | associated_center	24
Number of community centers in which interest is owned by the partnership | community_center	10
Number of office buildings in which interest is owned by the partnership | office_building	12
Number of properties | property	123
CBL & Associates Limited Partnership
Consolidation, Less than Wholly Owned Subsidiary, Parent Ownership Interest, Effects of Changes, Net [Line Items]
Number of subsidiaries owned by the company | subsidiary	2
Percentage ownership of the sole general partner in partnership	1.00%
Percentage of limited partnership interest owned by CBL Holdings II, Inc. in the operating partnership	84.80%
Combined percentage ownership by the subsidiaries in operating partnership	85.80%
Consolidated properties
Consolidation, Less than Wholly Owned Subsidiary, Parent Ownership Interest, Effects of Changes, Net [Line Items]
Number of regional malls/open-air centers in which interest is owned by the partnership	68
Number of associated centers in which interest is owned by the partnership | associated_center	20
Number of community centers in which interest is owned by the partnership | community_center	5
Number of office buildings in which interest is owned by the partnership | office_building	7
Number of properties | property	100
Number of mixed-use centers owned | mixed_use_center	1
Number of malls held for sale	3
Number of malls under development	1
Number of malls under expansion	2
Number of community centers under expansion | community_center	1
Number of malls under redevelopments	5
Percentage ownership interest in qualified subsidiaries	100.00%
Percentage of non controlling limited partner interest ownership of CBL's Predecessor in the Operating Partnership	9.10%
Percentage of non controlling limited partner interest of third parties in Operating partnership	5.10%
Number of company's common stock owned by CBL's Predecessor (in shares) | shares	3.7
Total combined effective interest of CBL's Predecessor in Operating Partnership (as a percent)	11.00%
Consolidated properties | CBL & Associates Limited Partnership
Consolidation, Less than Wholly Owned Subsidiary, Parent Ownership Interest, Effects of Changes, Net [Line Items]
Number of office buildings in which interest is owned by the partnership | office_building	2
Unconsolidated Properties
Consolidation, Less than Wholly Owned Subsidiary, Parent Ownership Interest, Effects of Changes, Net [Line Items]
Number of regional malls/open-air centers in which interest is owned by the partnership	9
Number of associated centers in which interest is owned by the partnership | associated_center	4
Number of community centers in which interest is owned by the partnership | community_center	5
Number of office buildings in which interest is owned by the partnership | office_building	5
Number of properties | property	23
Number of office buildings held for sale | office_building	4
Number of malls under expansion	1
Number of community centers under expansion	1