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, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Income from Continuing Operations, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		$ 62,036	$ 81,459	$ 177,716	$ 211,558
Income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		(2,126)	(2,814)	(6,096)	(7,336)
Income from continuing operations allocated to unvested restricted shares		(78)	(118)	(229)	(302)
Dividends, Preferred Stock, Cash		(922)	(922)	(2,766)	(2,766)
Income from continuing operations available for common shareholders, adjusted		$ 58,910	$ 77,605	$ 168,625	$ 201,154
Weighted average common shares - basic		114,216	113,877	114,177	113,814
Earnings per share - basic		$ 0.52	$ 0.68	$ 1.48	$ 1.77
Income from Continuing Operations, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		$ 62,036	$ 81,459	$ 177,716	$ 211,558
Income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests	[1]	(2,126)	(2,814)	(6,096)	(7,336)
Net income available for MAA common shareholders, adjusted		$ 58,988	$ 77,723	$ 168,854	$ 201,456
Effect of dilutive securities		252	260	310	238
Weighted average common shares - diluted		114,468	114,137	114,487	114,052
Earnings per share - diluted		$ 0.52	$ 0.68	$ 1.47	$ 1.77
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 nine months ended September 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.