Equity (Details 2) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended				1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 09, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Aug. 31, 2012 CEP III	Sep. 30, 2014 CEP III	Sep. 30, 2014 CEP III
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Common stock, shares authorized	280,000,000	280,000,000			280,000,000
Preferred stock, shares authorized	50,000,000	50,000,000			50,000,000
Common stock shares issued							650,579	2,069,538
Common stock shares issued in connection with stock options exercised		454,728
Common stock shares issued through dividend reinvestment plan		1,868	1,465
Common stock shares issued in connection with stock grants		113,822	123,977
Common shares through the Employee Stock Purchase Program		4,367
Number of shares of stock grants withheld		53,983	44,750
Number of shares forfeited		200	5,214
Maximum value of shares of common stock that can be sold (in dollars)						$ 750,000,000
Period during which common stock can be sold						36 months
Percentage of compensation received by sales agent								1.50%
avb_SharesIssuedAveragePricePerShare							$ 153.68	$ 144.95
Issuance of common stock		340,091,000	2,874,000				98,481,000	295,465,000
Value of additional shares authorized for issuance							$ 346,304,000	$ 346,304,000
Share Price				$ 155.83
Option Indexed to Issuer's Equity, Shares	4,500,000
Forward Contract Indexed to Issuer's Equity, Forward Rate Per Share	$ 151.74