Earnings Per Common Share of MAA - Schedule of Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended
		Mar. 31, 2022	Mar. 31, 2021
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Income from Continuing Operations, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		$ 113,577	$ 48,864
Income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		(2,775)	(1,671)
Income from continuing operations allocated to unvested restricted shares		(79)	(54)
Dividends, Preferred Stock, Cash		(922)	(922)
Income from continuing operations available for common shareholders, adjusted		$ 109,801	$ 46,217
Weighted average common shares - basic		115,259	114,263
Earnings per share - basic		$ 0.95	$ 0.40
Income from Continuing Operations, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		$ 113,577	$ 48,864
Income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests	[1]	(2,775)	(1,671)
Net income available for MAA common shareholders, adjusted		$ 109,880	$ 46,271
Effect of dilutive securities		459	312
Weighted average common shares - diluted		115,718	114,575
Earnings per common share - diluted		$ 0.95	$ 0.40
Limited Partnership Units [Member]
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount		3,200	4,100

[1] For the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, 3.2 million OP Units and 4.1 million OP Units, respectively, and their related income are not included in the diluted earnings per share calculations as they are not dilutive.