Net Loss Per Share/Unit - Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, Operating Partnership (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Net income (loss) attributable to the Operating Partnership	$ 14,438	$ (113,086)
Dividends to preferred units	(17,973)	(17,973)
Net Income (loss) attributable to common stockholders/unitholders and limited partners used in basic and diluted net income (loss) per share/unit	$ (3,713)	$ (131,184)
Weighted average number of common stock/units outstanding - basic and diluted (shares)	973,849,610	903,825,726
VEREIT Operating Partnership, L.P. [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Net income (loss) attributable to the Operating Partnership	$ 14,797	$ (116,041)
Dividends to preferred units	(17,973)	(17,973)
Net loss available to the Operating Partnership	(3,176)	(134,014)
Earnings allocated to participating units	(178)	(125)
Net Income (loss) attributable to common stockholders/unitholders and limited partners used in basic and diluted net income (loss) per share/unit	$ (3,354)	$ (134,139)
Weighted average number of common stock/units outstanding - basic and diluted (shares)	997,597,957	927,589,523
Basic and diluted net loss per unit attributable to common unitholders (in dollars per share)	$ 0.00	$ (0.15)