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Basis Of Presentation And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies Recent Accounting Pronouncements (Policies)
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Recent Accounting Pronouncements [Abstract]  
Recent Accounting Pronouncement [Policy Text Block]
New Accounting Pronouncements
New Accounting Pronouncements Adopted
Revenue from Contracts with Customers
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” (“ASU 2014-09”). The objective of ASU 2014-09 is to establish a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers, which supersedes most of the existing revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The core principle is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised 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. In applying ASU 2014-09, companies will perform a five-step analysis of transactions to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The five-step analysis consists of the following: (i) identifying the contract with a customer, (ii) identifying the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determining the transaction price, (iv) allocating the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and (v) recognizing revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. ASU 2014-09 applies to all contracts with customers except those that are within the scope of other topics in the FASB’s ASC. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date” (“ASU 2015-14”), which delayed the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year making it effective for the first interim period within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption was permitted as of the original effective date. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-12, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients” (“ASU 2016-12”). ASU 2016-12 is intended to clarify and provide practical expedients for certain aspects of ASU 2014-09 and notes that lease contracts with customers are a scope exception. ASU 2014-09 was effective for the Company for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017.
The Company adopted ASU 2014-09 effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective approach. The adoption of ASU 2014-09 did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The Company applied the guidance only to contracts that were not completed as of January 1, 2018. The Company does not have material contract assets and liabilities within the scope of ASC 606. The adoption of ASU 2014-09 resulted in a change to the timing pattern of revenue recognized, but not the total revenue recognized over time for certain of the Company’s development services contracts. As a result, the modified retrospective approach resulted in the Company recognizing on January 1, 2018 the cumulative effect of adopting ASU 2014-09 aggregating approximately $4.9 million to Dividends in Excess of Earnings of Boston Properties, Inc. and Partners’ Capital of Boston Properties Limited Partnership and approximately $0.6 million to Noncontrolling Interests - Common Units of Boston Properties, Inc. and Noncontrolling Interests - Redeemable Partnership Units of Boston Properties Limited Partnership on the corresponding Consolidated Balance Sheets.
The Company disaggregates its revenue by source within its Consolidated Statements of Operations. As an owner and operator of real estate, the Company derives the majority of its revenue from leasing space to tenants at its properties. As a result, the majority of the Company’s revenue is accounted for pursuant to ASC 840 “Leases” (“ASC 840”) and is reflected within Base Rent in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. In addition, the Company earns revenue from recoveries from tenants, consisting of amounts due from tenants for common area maintenance, real estate taxes and other recoverable costs. Revenue from recoveries from tenants is recognized under the guidance within ASC 840 until the adoption of ASC 842 "Leases" in 2019 at which time it may fall within the guidance under ASC 606 pending a final determination from the FASB.
The Company also earns revenue from the following sources; parking and other revenue, hotel revenue and development and management services revenue.
Parking and other revenue is derived primarily from monthly and transient daily parking. In addition, the Company has certain lease arrangements for parking accounted for under the guidance in ASC 840. The monthly and transient daily parking revenue falls within the scope of ASC 606 and is accounted for at the point in time when control of the goods or services transfers to the customer and the Company’s performance obligation is satisfied, consistent with the Company’s previous accounting.
Hotel revenue is derived from room rentals and other sources such as charges to guests for telephone service, movie and vending commissions, meeting and banquet room revenue and laundry services. Hotel revenue also falls within the scope of ASC 606 and is accounted for at the point in time when control of the goods or services transfers to the customer and the Company’s performance obligation is satisfied, consistent with the Company’s previous accounting.
Development and management services revenue is earned from unconsolidated joint venture entities and third party property owners. The Company determined that the performance obligations associated with its development services contracts are satisfied over time and that the Company would recognize its development services revenue under the output method evenly over time from the development commencement date through the substantial completion date of the development management services project due to the stand-ready nature of the contracts. Significant judgments impacting the amount and timing of revenue recognized from the Company's development services contracts include estimates of total development project costs from which the fees are typically derived and estimates of the period of time until substantial completion of the development project, the period of time over which the development services are required to be performed. As a result, the pattern of revenue recognized over time under ASC 606 differs from the Company’s previous accounting. The Company recognizes development fees earned from unconsolidated joint venture projects equal to its cost plus profit to the extent of the third party partners’ ownership interest. Property management fees are recorded and earned based on a percentage of collected rents at the properties under management, and not on a straight-line basis, because such fees are contingent upon the collection of rents. The revenue recognized under property management services contracts is recognized consistent with the Company's previous accounting.
ASU 2014-09 also updates the principal versus agent considerations and as a result the Company determined that amounts reimbursed for payroll and related costs received from unconsolidated joint venture entities and third party property owners in connection with management services contracts should be reflected on a gross basis instead of on a net basis as the Company has determined that it is the principal under these arrangements. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company recognized approximately $2.9 million of expenses consisting of payroll and related costs from management services contracts and recognized corresponding revenue of approximately $2.9 million reflecting the direct reimbursements of such costs from the unconsolidated joint venture entities and third party property owners.
Statement of Cash Flows
In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force)” (“ASU 2016-15”). ASU 2016-15 is intended to reduce diversity in practice in how certain transactions are classified in the statement of cash flows. The areas addressed in the new guidance related to debt prepayment costs, settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments, contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims, proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned and bank-owned life insurance policies, distributions received from equity method investments, beneficial interest in securitization transactions, and separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. ASU 2016-15 was effective for the Company for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted (provided that all of the amendments are adopted in the same period), and was required to be applied retrospectively to all periods presented. The Company adopted ASU 2016-15 effective January 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2016-15 did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The adoption of ASU 2016-15 will result in the retrospective classification of debt prepayment costs as a component of financing activities instead of as a component of operating activities in the Company's Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force)” (“ASU 2016-18”). ASU 2016-18 requires companies to include restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-18 also requires a disclosure of a reconciliation between the statement of financial position and the statement of cash flows when the statement of financial position includes more than one line item for cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents. Entities with material restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents balances are required to disclose the nature of the restrictions. ASU 2016-18 was effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted, and is required to be applied retrospectively to all periods presented. The Company adopted ASU 2016-18 effective January 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2016-18 did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The retrospective adoption of ASU 2016-18 resulted in a decrease to net cash provided by operating activities totaling approximately $6.7 million, an increase to net cash used in investing activities totaling approximately $5.2 million and a corresponding increase to the net decrease in cash and cash equivalents and cash held in escrows totaling approximately $11.9 million from amounts previously reported for the three months ended March 31, 2017. Cash held in escrows include amounts established pursuant to various agreements for security deposits, property taxes, insurance and other costs. Cash held in escrows also include cash held by qualified intermediaries for possible investments in like-kind exchanges in accordance with Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code in connection with sales of the Company’s properties. 
Sales of Real Estate
In February 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-05, “Other Income - Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets (Subtopic 610-20): Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance and Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets” (“ASU 2017-05”). ASU 2017-05 updates the definition of an “in substance nonfinancial asset” and clarifies the derecognition guidance for nonfinancial assets to conform with the new revenue recognition standard. The effective date and transition methods of ASU 2017-05 are aligned with ASU 2014-09 described above and were effective for the first interim period within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company adopted ASU 2017-05 effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective approach. The adoption of ASU 2017-05 did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. See also Note 3.
Stock Compensation
In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting” (“ASU 2017-09”). ASU 2017-09 is intended to provide clarity and reduce (1) diversity in practice, (2) cost and (3) complexity when applying the guidance in Topic 718 to a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award. ASU 2017-09 was effective for public entities for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company adopted ASU 2017-09 effective January 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2017-09 did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
Derivatives and Hedging
In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, “Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities” (“ASU 2017-12”). ASU 2017-12 was issued with the objective of improving the financial reporting of hedging relationships to better portray the economic results of an entity’s risk management activities in its financial statements. ASU 2017-12 also makes certain targeted improvements to simplify the application of the hedge accounting guidance. ASU 2017-12 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company early adopted ASU 2017-12 effective January 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2017-12 did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. As of March 31, 2018, the Company does not have any outstanding hedges, but continues to reclassify into earnings as an increase primarily to interest expense approximately $1.7 million per quarter relating to previously settled interest rate contracts.
New Accounting Pronouncements Issued but not yet Adopted
Leases    
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” (“ASU 2016-02”), which sets out the principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases for both parties to a contract (i.e., lessees and lessors). ASU 2016-02 requires lessees to apply a dual approach, classifying leases as either finance or operating leases based on the principle of whether or not the lease is effectively a financed purchase of the leased asset by the lessee. This classification will determine whether the lease expense is recognized based on an effective interest method or on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. A lessee is also required to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all leases with a term of greater than 12 months regardless of their classification. Leases with a term of 12 months or less will be accounted for similar to existing guidance for operating leases today. The new standard requires lessors to account for leases using an approach that is substantially equivalent to existing guidance for sales-type leases, direct financing leases and operating leases. ASU 2016-02 supersedes previous leasing standards. ASU 2016-02 is effective for the Company for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company will adopt ASU 2016-02 effective January 1, 2019 using the modified retrospective approach. The Company is in the process of evaluating whether it will elect to apply the practical expedients. The Company is in the process of adopting ASU 2016-02, with its project team compiling an inventory of its leases that will be impacted by the adoption of ASU 2016-02. The Company continues to assess the impact of adopting ASU 2016-02. However, the Company will account for operating leases under which it is the lessor on its balance sheet in a manner similar to its current accounting with the underlying leased asset recognized as real estate. In January 2018, the FASB issued a proposed ASU that would allow lessors to elect, as a practical expedient, not to allocate the total consideration to lease and non-lease components based on their relative standalone selling prices. If issued, this practical expedient will allow lessors to elect a combined single lease component presentation if (i) the timing and pattern of the revenue recognition of the combined single lease component is the same, and (ii) the related lease component and, the combined single lease component would be classified as an operating lease. If the practical expedient in the proposed ASU is issued, it could allow for tenant recoveries that qualify as non-lease components to be presented under a single lease component presentation. However, without the proposed practical expedient, tenant recoveries would be separated into lease and non-lease components. For leases in which the Company is the lessee, primarily consisting of ground leases, the Company will recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability equal to the present value of the minimum lease payments with rental payments being applied to the lease liability and to interest expense and the right-of-use asset being amortized to expense over the term of the lease. In addition, under ASU 2016-02, lessors will only capitalize incremental direct leasing costs. As a result, the Company will no longer be able to capitalize legal costs and internal leasing wages and instead will be required to expense these and other non-incremental costs as incurred. In January 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-01, “Leases (Topic 842):  Land Easement Practical Expedient for Transition to Topic 842” (“ASU 2018-01”), which provides an optional transition practical expedient to not evaluate under Topic 842 existing or expired land easements that were not previously accounted for as leases under the current leases guidance in Topic 840.  An entity that elects this practical expedient should evaluate new or modified land easements under Topic 842 beginning at the date that the entity adopts Topic 842.  An entity that does not elect this practical expedient should evaluate all existing or expired land easements in connection with the adoption of the new lease requirements in Topic 842 to assess whether they meet the definition of a lease.  The effective date and transition requirements for ASU 2018-01 are the same as the effective date and transition requirements in ASU 2016-02.
Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” (“ASU 2014-09”). The objective of ASU 2014-09 is to establish a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers, which supersedes most of the existing revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The core principle is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised 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. In applying ASU 2014-09, companies will perform a five-step analysis of transactions to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The five-step analysis consists of the following: (i) identifying the contract with a customer, (ii) identifying the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determining the transaction price, (iv) allocating the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and (v) recognizing revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. ASU 2014-09 applies to all contracts with customers except those that are within the scope of other topics in the FASB’s ASC. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date” (“ASU 2015-14”), which delayed the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year making it effective for the first interim period within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption was permitted as of the original effective date. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-12, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients” (“ASU 2016-12”). ASU 2016-12 is intended to clarify and provide practical expedients for certain aspects of ASU 2014-09 and notes that lease contracts with customers are a scope exception. ASU 2014-09 was effective for the Company for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017.
The Company adopted ASU 2014-09 effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective approach. The adoption of ASU 2014-09 did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The Company applied the guidance only to contracts that were not completed as of January 1, 2018. The Company does not have material contract assets and liabilities within the scope of ASC 606. The adoption of ASU 2014-09 resulted in a change to the timing pattern of revenue recognized, but not the total revenue recognized over time for certain of the Company’s development services contracts. As a result, the modified retrospective approach resulted in the Company recognizing on January 1, 2018 the cumulative effect of adopting ASU 2014-09 aggregating approximately $4.9 million to Dividends in Excess of Earnings of Boston Properties, Inc. and Partners’ Capital of Boston Properties Limited Partnership and approximately $0.6 million to Noncontrolling Interests - Common Units of Boston Properties, Inc. and Noncontrolling Interests - Redeemable Partnership Units of Boston Properties Limited Partnership on the corresponding Consolidated Balance Sheets.
The Company disaggregates its revenue by source within its Consolidated Statements of Operations. As an owner and operator of real estate, the Company derives the majority of its revenue from leasing space to tenants at its properties. As a result, the majority of the Company’s revenue is accounted for pursuant to ASC 840 “Leases” (“ASC 840”) and is reflected within Base Rent in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. In addition, the Company earns revenue from recoveries from tenants, consisting of amounts due from tenants for common area maintenance, real estate taxes and other recoverable costs. Revenue from recoveries from tenants is recognized under the guidance within ASC 840 until the adoption of ASC 842 "Leases" in 2019 at which time it may fall within the guidance under ASC 606 pending a final determination from the FASB.
The Company also earns revenue from the following sources; parking and other revenue, hotel revenue and development and management services revenue.
Parking and other revenue is derived primarily from monthly and transient daily parking. In addition, the Company has certain lease arrangements for parking accounted for under the guidance in ASC 840. The monthly and transient daily parking revenue falls within the scope of ASC 606 and is accounted for at the point in time when control of the goods or services transfers to the customer and the Company’s performance obligation is satisfied, consistent with the Company’s previous accounting.
Hotel revenue is derived from room rentals and other sources such as charges to guests for telephone service, movie and vending commissions, meeting and banquet room revenue and laundry services. Hotel revenue also falls within the scope of ASC 606 and is accounted for at the point in time when control of the goods or services transfers to the customer and the Company’s performance obligation is satisfied, consistent with the Company’s previous accounting.
Development and management services revenue is earned from unconsolidated joint venture entities and third party property owners. The Company determined that the performance obligations associated with its development services contracts are satisfied over time and that the Company would recognize its development services revenue under the output method evenly over time from the development commencement date through the substantial completion date of the development management services project due to the stand-ready nature of the contracts. Significant judgments impacting the amount and timing of revenue recognized from the Company's development services contracts include estimates of total development project costs from which the fees are typically derived and estimates of the period of time until substantial completion of the development project, the period of time over which the development services are required to be performed. As a result, the pattern of revenue recognized over time under ASC 606 differs from the Company’s previous accounting. The Company recognizes development fees earned from unconsolidated joint venture projects equal to its cost plus profit to the extent of the third party partners’ ownership interest. Property management fees are recorded and earned based on a percentage of collected rents at the properties under management, and not on a straight-line basis, because such fees are contingent upon the collection of rents. The revenue recognized under property management services contracts is recognized consistent with the Company's previous accounting.
ASU 2014-09 also updates the principal versus agent considerations and as a result the Company determined that amounts reimbursed for payroll and related costs received from unconsolidated joint venture entities and third party property owners in connection with management services contracts should be reflected on a gross basis instead of on a net basis as the Company has determined that it is the principal under these arrangements. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company recognized approximately $2.9 million of expenses consisting of payroll and related costs from management services contracts and recognized corresponding revenue of approximately $2.9 million reflecting the direct reimbursements of such costs from the unconsolidated joint venture entities and third party property owners.
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]
In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force)” (“ASU 2016-18”). ASU 2016-18 requires companies to include restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-18 also requires a disclosure of a reconciliation between the statement of financial position and the statement of cash flows when the statement of financial position includes more than one line item for cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents. Entities with material restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents balances are required to disclose the nature of the restrictions. ASU 2016-18 was effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted, and is required to be applied retrospectively to all periods presented. The Company adopted ASU 2016-18 effective January 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2016-18 did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The retrospective adoption of ASU 2016-18 resulted in a decrease to net cash provided by operating activities totaling approximately $6.7 million, an increase to net cash used in investing activities totaling approximately $5.2 million and a corresponding increase to the net decrease in cash and cash equivalents and cash held in escrows totaling approximately $11.9 million from amounts previously reported for the three months ended March 31, 2017. Cash held in escrows include amounts established pursuant to various agreements for security deposits, property taxes, insurance and other costs. Cash held in escrows also include cash held by qualified intermediaries for possible investments in like-kind exchanges in accordance with Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code in connection with sales of the Company’s properties.