Related Party Transactions (Details)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Distribution agreement, termination period	60 days
Percentage of trigger point on outstanding accumulation units, percent	45.00%

Percentage of Trigger Point on Outstanding Accumulation Units.

No definition available.

Name:	tiaareal_PercentageOfTriggerPointOnOutstandingAccumulationUnits
Namespace Prefix:	tiaareal_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration