Employee Benefit Plans	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Employee Benefit Plans [Abstract]
EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS	EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS Following are details of employee benefit plans not previously discussed in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data - Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 2. 401(k) Savings Plan The Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan, or 401(k) Plan, is a defined contribution plan that satisfies the requirements of Section 401(a) and 401(k) of the Code. MAA’s Board of Directors has the discretion to approve matching contributions. MAA’s contribution to this plan was approximately $668,000, $597,000 and $507,000 in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Retirement Plan MAA has adopted a non-qualified deferred compensation retirement plan for key employees who are not qualified for participation in MAA’s 401(k) Plan. Under the terms of the plan, employees may elect to defer a percentage of their compensation and MAA may, but is not obligated to, match a portion of their salary deferral. The plan is designed so that the employees’ investment earnings under the non-qualified plan should be the same as the earning assets in MAA’s 401(k) Plan. MAA’s match to this plan in 2012, 2011 and 2010 was approximately $45,000, $51,000 and $57,000, respectively. Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan for Outside Company Directors In 1998, MAA established the Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan for Outside Company Directors, or the Directors Deferred Compensation Plan, which allows non-employee directors to defer their director fees by having the fees held by MAA as shares of MAA common stock. Directors can also choose to have their annual restricted stock grants issued into the Directors Deferred Compensation Plan. Amounts deferred through the Directors Deferred Compensation Plan are distributed to the directors in two annual installments beginning in the first 90 days of the year following the director’s departure from the board. Participating directors may choose to have the amount issued to them in shares of MAA common stock or paid to them as cash at the market value as of the end of the year the director ceases to serve on the board. During 2012, 2011 and 2010, directors deferred 5,549 shares, 5,328 shares and 4,422 shares of common stock, respectively, with weighted-average grant date fair values of $66.12, $64.55 and $56.90, respectively, into the Directors Deferred Compensation Plan. The shares of common stock held in the Directors Deferred Compensation Plan are classified outside of permanent equity in redeemable stock with changes in redemption amount recorded immediately to retained earnings because the directors have redemption rights not solely within the control of MAA. Additionally, any shares that become mandatorily redeemable because a departed director has elected to receive a cash payout are recorded as a liability. MAA did not record a liability related to mandatorily redeemable shares in 2012; however, approximately $78,000 and $143,000 was recorded in accrued expenses and other liabilities at 2011 and 2010, respectively. Employee Stock Ownership Plan The Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or ESOP, is a non-contributory stock bonus plan that satisfies the requirements of Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. Each employee of MAA is eligible to participate in the ESOP after completing one year of service with MAA. Participants' ESOP accounts will be 100% vested after three years of continuous service, with no vesting prior to that time. MAA contributed 22,500 shares of common stock to the ESOP upon conclusion of the initial offering. MAA did not contribute to the ESOP during 2012, 2011 or 2010. As of December 31, 2012, there were 198,732 shares outstanding with a fair value of $12.9 million.

EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

Following are details of employee benefit plans not previously discussed in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data - Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 2.

401(k) Savings Plan

The Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan, or 401(k) Plan, is a defined contribution plan that satisfies the requirements of Section 401(a) and 401(k) of the Code. MAA’s Board of Directors has the discretion to approve matching contributions. MAA’s contribution to this plan was approximately $668,000, $597,000 and $507,000 in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Retirement Plan

MAA has adopted a non-qualified deferred compensation retirement plan for key employees who are not qualified for participation in MAA’s 401(k) Plan. Under the terms of the plan, employees may elect to defer a percentage of their compensation and MAA may, but is not obligated to, match a portion of their salary deferral. The plan is designed so that the employees’ investment earnings under the non-qualified plan should be the same as the earning assets in MAA’s 401(k) Plan. MAA’s match to this plan in 2012, 2011 and 2010 was approximately $45,000, $51,000 and $57,000, respectively.

Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan for Outside Company Directors

In 1998, MAA established the Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan for Outside Company Directors, or the Directors Deferred Compensation Plan, which allows non-employee directors to defer their director fees by having the fees held by MAA as shares of MAA common stock. Directors can also choose to have their annual restricted stock grants issued into the Directors Deferred Compensation Plan. Amounts deferred through the Directors Deferred Compensation Plan are distributed to the directors in two annual installments beginning in the first 90 days of the year following the director’s departure from the board. Participating directors may choose to have the amount issued to them in shares of MAA common stock or paid to them as cash at the market value as of the end of the year the director ceases to serve on the board.

During 2012, 2011 and 2010, directors deferred 5,549 shares, 5,328 shares and 4,422 shares of common stock, respectively, with weighted-average grant date fair values of $66.12, $64.55 and $56.90, respectively, into the Directors Deferred Compensation Plan.

The shares of common stock held in the Directors Deferred Compensation Plan are classified outside of permanent equity in redeemable stock with changes in redemption amount recorded immediately to retained earnings because the directors have redemption rights not solely within the control of MAA. Additionally, any shares that become mandatorily redeemable because a departed director has elected to receive a cash payout are recorded as a liability. MAA did not record a liability related to mandatorily redeemable shares in 2012; however, approximately $78,000 and $143,000 was recorded in accrued expenses and other liabilities at 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Employee Stock Ownership Plan

The Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or ESOP, is a non-contributory stock bonus plan that satisfies the requirements of Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. Each employee of MAA is eligible to participate in the ESOP after completing one year of service with MAA. Participants' ESOP accounts will be 100% vested after three years of continuous service, with no vesting prior to that time. MAA contributed 22,500 shares of common stock to the ESOP upon conclusion of the initial offering. MAA did not contribute to the ESOP during 2012, 2011 or 2010. As of December 31, 2012, there were 198,732 shares outstanding with a fair value of $12.9 million.