Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies Description of Business Highwoods Properties, Inc. (the “Company”) is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that provides leasing, management, development, construction and other customer-related services for its properties and for third parties. The Company conducts its activities through Highwoods Realty Limited Partnership (the “Operating Partnership”). At March 31, 2017, we owned or had an interest in 31.3 million rentable square feet of in-service properties, 1.2 million rentable square feet of properties under development and approximately 400 acres of development land. The Company is the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. At March 31, 2017, the Company owned all of the Preferred Units and 101.6 million, or 97.3%, of the Common Units in the Operating Partnership. Limited partners owned the remaining 2.8 million Common Units. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company redeemed 2,000 Common Units for a like number of shares of Common Stock. Common Stock Offerings During the first quarter of 2017, we entered into separate equity distribution agreements in which the Company may offer and sell up to $300.0 million in aggregate gross sales price of shares of Common Stock. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company issued 186,185 shares of Common Stock under its equity distribution agreements at an average gross sales price of $49.73 per share and received net proceeds, after sales commissions, of $9.1 million. Basis of Presentation Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The Company's Consolidated Financial Statements include the Operating Partnership, wholly owned subsidiaries and those entities in which the Company has the controlling interest. The Operating Partnership's Consolidated Financial Statements include wholly owned subsidiaries and those entities in which the Operating Partnership has the controlling interest. All intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated. The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and accompanying unaudited consolidated financial information, in the opinion of management, contain all adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. We have condensed or omitted certain notes and other information from the interim Consolidated Financial Statements presented in this Quarterly Report as permitted by SEC rules and regulations. These Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Use of Estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. 1. Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies – Continued Recently Issued Accounting Standards The Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued an accounting standards update ("ASU") that requires the use of a new five-step model to recognize revenue from customer contracts. The five-step model requires that we identify the contract with the customer, identify the performance obligations in the contract, determine the transaction price, allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and recognize revenue when we satisfy the performance obligations. We will also be required to disclose information regarding the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The ASU is required to be adopted in 2018. Retrospective application is required either to all periods presented or with the cumulative effect of initial adoption recognized in the period of adoption. Our initial analysis of our non-lease related revenue contracts indicates that the adoption of this ASU will not have a material effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements; however, we are still in the process of evaluating this ASU. The FASB issued an ASU that adds to and clarifies guidance on the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows. The ASU is required to be adopted in 2018 with retrospective application required. We do not expect such adoption to have a material effect on our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The FASB issued an ASU that clarifies and narrows the definition of a business used in determining whether to account for a transaction as an asset acquisition or business combination. The guidance requires evaluation of the fair value of the assets acquired to determine if it is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets. If so, the transferred assets would not be a business. The guidance also requires a business to include at least one substantive process and narrows the definition of outputs. The ASU is required to be adopted in 2018 and applied prospectively. We are in the process of evaluating this ASU. The FASB issued an ASU which sets out the principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases for both lessees and lessors. The ASU requires lessors to account for leases using an approach that is substantially equivalent to the existing guidance and is effective for reporting periods beginning in 2019 with early adoption permitted. We are in the process of evaluating this ASU. The FASB issued an ASU that requires, among other things, the use of a new current expected credit loss ("CECL") model in determining our allowances for doubtful accounts with respect to accounts receivable, accrued straight-line rents receivable and mortgages and notes receivable. The CECL model requires that we estimate our lifetime expected credit loss with respect to these receivables and record allowances that, when deducted from the balance of the receivables, represent the net amounts expected to be collected. We will also be required to disclose information about how we developed the allowances, including changes in the factors (e.g., portfolio mix, credit trends, unemployment, gross domestic product, etc.) that influenced our estimate of expected credit losses and the reasons for those changes. We will apply the ASU’s provisions as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings upon adoption in 2020. We are in the process of evaluating this ASU.

Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies

Description of Business

Highwoods Properties, Inc. (the “Company”) is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that provides leasing, management, development, construction and other customer-related services for its properties and for third parties. The Company conducts its activities through Highwoods Realty Limited Partnership (the “Operating Partnership”). At March 31, 2017, we owned or had an interest in 31.3 million rentable square feet of in-service properties, 1.2 million rentable square feet of properties under development and approximately 400 acres of development land.

The Company is the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. At March 31, 2017, the Company owned all of the Preferred Units and 101.6 million, or 97.3%, of the Common Units in the Operating Partnership. Limited partners owned the remaining 2.8 million Common Units. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company redeemed 2,000 Common Units for a like number of shares of Common Stock.

Common Stock Offerings

During the first quarter of 2017, we entered into separate equity distribution agreements in which the Company may offer and sell up to $300.0 million in aggregate gross sales price of shares of Common Stock. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company issued 186,185 shares of Common Stock under its equity distribution agreements at an average gross sales price of $49.73 per share and received net proceeds, after sales commissions, of $9.1 million.

Basis of Presentation

Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).

The Company's Consolidated Financial Statements include the Operating Partnership, wholly owned subsidiaries and those entities in which the Company has the controlling interest. The Operating Partnership's Consolidated Financial Statements include wholly owned subsidiaries and those entities in which the Operating Partnership has the controlling interest. All intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated.

The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and accompanying unaudited consolidated financial information, in the opinion of management, contain all adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. We have condensed or omitted certain notes and other information from the interim Consolidated Financial Statements presented in this Quarterly Report as permitted by SEC rules and regulations. These Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

1. Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies – Continued

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

The Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued an accounting standards update ("ASU") that requires the use of a new five-step model to recognize revenue from customer contracts. The five-step model requires that we identify the contract with the customer, identify the performance obligations in the contract, determine the transaction price, allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and recognize revenue when we satisfy the performance obligations. We will also be required to disclose information regarding the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The ASU is required to be adopted in 2018. Retrospective application is required either to all periods presented or with the cumulative effect of initial adoption recognized in the period of adoption. Our initial analysis of our non-lease related revenue contracts indicates that the adoption of this ASU will not have a material effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements; however, we are still in the process of evaluating this ASU.

The FASB issued an ASU that adds to and clarifies guidance on the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows. The ASU is required to be adopted in 2018 with retrospective application required. We do not expect such adoption to have a material effect on our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

The FASB issued an ASU that clarifies and narrows the definition of a business used in determining whether to account for a transaction as an asset acquisition or business combination. The guidance requires evaluation of the fair value of the assets acquired to determine if it is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets. If so, the transferred assets would not be a business. The guidance also requires a business to include at least one substantive process and narrows the definition of outputs. The ASU is required to be adopted in 2018 and applied prospectively. We are in the process of evaluating this ASU.

The FASB issued an ASU which sets out the principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases for both lessees and lessors. The ASU requires lessors to account for leases using an approach that is substantially equivalent to the existing guidance and is effective for reporting periods beginning in 2019 with early adoption permitted. We are in the process of evaluating this ASU.

The FASB issued an ASU that requires, among other things, the use of a new current expected credit loss ("CECL") model in determining our allowances for doubtful accounts with respect to accounts receivable, accrued straight-line rents receivable and mortgages and notes receivable. The CECL model requires that we estimate our lifetime expected credit loss with respect to these receivables and record allowances that, when deducted from the balance of the receivables, represent the net amounts expected to be collected. We will also be required to disclose information about how we developed the allowances, including changes in the factors (e.g., portfolio mix, credit trends, unemployment, gross domestic product, etc.) that influenced our estimate of expected credit losses and the reasons for those changes. We will apply the ASU’s provisions as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings upon adoption in 2020. We are in the process of evaluating this ASU.