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		6 Months Ended
		Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Income from Continuing Operations, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		$ 77,728	$ 64,141	$ 115,680	$ 130,099
Income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		(2,666)	(2,224)	(3,970)	(4,522)
Income from continuing operations allocated to unvested restricted shares		(100)	(96)	(151)	(184)
Dividends, Preferred Stock, Cash		(922)	(922)	(1,844)	(1,844)
Income from continuing operations available for common shareholders, adjusted		$ 74,040	$ 60,899	$ 109,715	$ 123,549
Weighted average common shares - basic		114,204	113,838	114,158	113,783
Earnings per share - basic		$ 0.65	$ 0.53	$ 0.96	$ 1.09
Income from Continuing Operations, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		$ 77,728	$ 64,141	$ 115,680	$ 130,099
Income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests	[1]	(2,666)	(2,224)	(3,970)	(4,522)
Net income available for MAA common shareholders, adjusted		$ 74,140	$ 60,995	$ 109,866	$ 123,733
Effect of dilutive securities		234	249	324	211
Weighted average common shares - diluted		114,438	114,087	114,482	113,994
Earnings per share - diluted		$ 0.65	$ 0.53	$ 0.96	$ 1.09
Limited Partnership Units [Member]
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount		4,100	4,100	4,100	4,100

[1] For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, 4.1 million OP Units and their related income are not included in the diluted earnings per share calculations as they are not dilutive.