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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
 12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Policy Text Block [Abstract]  
Basis of Accounting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

a) Basis of Accounting

For financial reporting purposes, the Partnership's fiscal year ends on March 31. All subsidiaries have fiscal years ending December 31. Accounts of the subsidiaries have been adjusted for intercompany transactions from January 1 through March 31. The Partnership's fiscal year ends March 31 in order to allow adequate time for the subsidiaries' financial statements to be prepared and consolidated. The books and records of the Partnership are maintained on the accrual basis of accounting, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).

 
Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

b) Basis of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Partnership and its eight and eleven subsidiary partnerships for the years ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, in which the Partnership is a limited partner. Through the rights of the Partnership and/or an affiliate of the General Partner, which affiliate has a contractual obligation to act on behalf of the Partnership, to remove the general partner of the subsidiary local partnerships (the “Local General Partner”) and to approve certain major operating and financial decisions, the Partnership has a controlling financial interest in the subsidiary partnerships. All intercompany accounts and transactions with the subsidiary partnerships have been eliminated in consolidation.

Loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests amounted to approximately $712,000 and $(1,042,000) for the years ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The Partnership's investment in each subsidiary is equal to the respective subsidiary's partners' equity less noncontrolling interest capital, if any.

 
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

c) Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand, cash in banks, and investments in short-term highly liquid investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less.

 
Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

d) Property and Equipment

Property and equipment to be held and used are carried at cost which includes the purchase price, acquisition fees and expenses, construction period interest and any other costs incurred in acquiring the properties. The cost of property and equipment is depreciated over their estimated useful lives using accelerated and straight-line methods. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred; major renewals and betterments are capitalized. At the time property and equipment are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation are eliminated from the assets and accumulated depreciation accounts and the profit or loss on such disposition is reflected in earnings. The determination of asset impairment is a two-step process. First, management estimates amounts recoverable through future operations and sale of the property on an undiscounted basis. If such estimates are below depreciated cost, management estimates fair value (using the fair market value based on comparative sales). The property is considered to be impaired when the depreciated cost exceeds estimated fair value.

At the time management commits to a plan to dispose of a specific asset, said asset is adjusted to the lower of carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell. These assets are classified as property and equipment-held for sale and are not depreciated. Property and equipment that are held for sale are included in discontinued operations. There are no assets classified as property and equipment-held for sale at March 31, 2014.

 
Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block]

e) Revenue Recognition

Rental income is earned under standard residential operating leases and is typically due the first day of each month, but can vary by property due to the terms of the tenant leases. Rental income is recognized when earned and charged to tenants' accounts receivable if not received by the due date. Rental payments received in advance of the due date are deferred until earned. Rental subsidies are recognized as rental income during the month in which they are earned.

Other revenues are recorded when earned and consist of the following items: Interest income earned on cash and cash equivalent balances and cash held in escrow balances, income from forfeited security deposits, late charges, laundry and vending income and other rental related items.

 
Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]

f) Income Taxes

The Partnership is not a tax paying entity for income tax purposes and, accordingly, no provision has been made for income taxes. The Partnership may be subject to state and local taxes in jurisdictions in which it operates.

The Partnership has no material liability for unrecognized tax benefits and no material change to the beginning partners' capital of the Partnership. As of and during the year ended March 31, 2014, the Partnership did not have a liability for any unrecognized tax benefits or related interest and penalties.

The Partnership relies on a 2% safe harbor established by an Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) regulation to avoid being characterized as a “publicly-traded partnership” that is taxed as a corporation.

Income tax returns for the years prior to 2010 are no longer subject to examination by tax authorities.

 
Mortgage Financing and Offering Costs Policy [Policy Text Block]

g) Mortgage Financing and Offering Costs

Costs incurred in connection with obtaining permanent mortgage financing are capitalized and amortized over the lives of the related mortgage notes. Costs incurred to sell BACs, including brokerage fees and the nonaccountable expense allowance, are considered selling and offering expenses. These costs are charged directly to limited partners' capital.

 
Deferred Costs, Policy [Policy Text Block]

h) Deferred Costs

Deferred costs and fees incurred in connection with the purchase of interests in certain subsidiary partnerships have been capitalized as property costs and are being amortized over the lives of the related properties.

 
Loss Contingencies, Policy [Policy Text Block]

i) Loss Contingencies

The Partnership records loss contingencies as a charge to income when information becomes available which indicates that it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred as of the date of the consolidated financial statements and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated.

 
Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

j) Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 
Recent Accounting Pronouncements [Policy Text Block]

k) Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, FASB and the IASB issued a new joint revenue recognition standard that supersedes nearly all US GAAP guidance on revenue recognition. The core principal of the standard is that revenue recognition should depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The new standard is effective for the Partnership for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2017 and the effects of the standard on the Partnership's consolidated financial statements are not known at this time.

l) Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2013, the Financial Accountant Standard Board issued an accounting standards update ("ASU") No. 2013-02 "Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income," requiring new disclosures for items reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income ("AOCI"), including (1) changes in AOCI balances by component and (2) significant items reclassified out of AOCI. The guidance does not amend any existing requirements for reporting net income or OCI in the financial statements. The standards update was effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2012, to be applied prospectively. The