COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013 Guarantees related to low income housing tax credits	Oct. 13, 2010 Guarantees related to low income housing tax credits	Oct. 12, 2010 Guarantees related to low income housing tax credits	Sep. 30, 2013 Minimum	Sep. 30, 2013 Maximum	Sep. 30, 2013 Letters of credit	Aug. 19, 2013 Unsecured Credit Agreement	Aug. 18, 2013 Unsecured Credit Agreement
Letters of Credit
Letters of credit outstanding							$ 5,319
Unsecured credit agreement							20,000	450,000	275,000
Tax Protection Obligations
Period for nonrecourse debt associated with contributed properties acquired					7 years	10 years
Percentage of apartment communities of owned portfolio restricted to be sold by the entity	8.00%
Term of sale restriction related to contributed properties					7 years	10 years
Remaining term on the levels of nonrecourse debt and sale restrictions					4 months	3 years 9 months
Low Income Housing Tax Credits
Tax credit guarantee				3,000
Secondary tax credit guarantee			3,000
Liability related to tax credit guarantee		$ 0