Fair Value Fair Value (Details 2) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument \| Interest Rate Cap
Derivative instruments and Hedging Activities
Notional amount	$ 688,044
Derivative weighted average interest rate	3.20%
Derivative, average cap interest rate	6.50%
Cash Flow Hedges \| Interest Rate Cap
Derivative instruments and Hedging Activities
Notional amount	$ 34,820
Derivative weighted average interest rate	3.50%
Derivative, average cap interest rate	5.90%
Cash Flow Hedges \| Interest Rate Swap
Derivative instruments and Hedging Activities
Notional amount	$ 0

- Definition

Reflects the calculation as of the balance sheet date of the average interest rate weighted by interest rate caps and interest rate swaps at that time.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	avb_DerivativeWeightedAverageInterestRate
Namespace Prefix:	avb_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Aggregate notional amount specified by the derivative(s). Expressed as an absolute value.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation S-X (SX)
-Number 210
-Article 12
-Section 13
-Sentence Column B

+ Details

Name:	invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount
Namespace Prefix:	invest_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Average cap rate on a group of interest rate derivatives, such as interest rate caps or collars. If market rates exceed the cap rate, a payment or receipt is triggered on the contract.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DerivativeAverageCapInterestRate
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DerivativeLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_HedgingDesignationAxis=us-gaap_NondesignatedMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis=us-gaap_InterestRateCapMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis=us-gaap_CashFlowHedgingMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis=us-gaap_InterestRateSwapMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: