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		9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2022	Sep. 30, 2021	Sep. 30, 2022	Sep. 30, 2021
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Income from Continuing Operations, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		$ 125,703	$ 87,047	$ 455,840	$ 359,786
Income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		(3,392)	(2,568)	(12,025)	(11,636)
Income from continuing operations allocated to unvested restricted shares		(82)	(80)	(308)	(359)
Dividends, Preferred Stock, Cash		(922)	(922)	(2,766)	(2,766)
Income from continuing operations available for common shareholders, adjusted		$ 121,307	$ 83,477	$ 440,741	$ 345,025
Weighted average common shares - basic		115,363	114,933	115,325	114,568
Earnings per share - basic		$ 1.05	$ 0.73	$ 3.82	$ 3.01
Income from Continuing Operations, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		$ 125,703	$ 87,047	$ 455,840	$ 359,786
Income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests	[1]	(3,392)	(2,568)	(12,025)	(11,636)
Net income available for MAA common shareholders, adjusted		$ 121,389	$ 83,557	$ 441,049	$ 345,384
Effect of dilutive securities		205	296	267	305
Weighted average common shares - diluted		115,568	115,229	115,592	114,873
Earnings per common share - diluted		$ 1.05	$ 0.73	$ 3.82	$ 3.01
Limited Partnership Units [Member]
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount		3,200	3,500	3,200	3,800

[1] For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, 3.2 million OP Units and their related income are not included in the diluted earnings per share calculations as they are not dilutive. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, 3.5 million OP Units and 3.8 million OP Units, respectively, and their related income are not included in the diluted earnings per share calculations as they are not dilutive.