Description of Business	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business	Description of Business Ventas, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated or except where the context otherwise requires, “we,” “us” or “our”), an S&P 500 company, is a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) with a highly diversified portfolio of seniors housing and healthcare properties located throughout the United States and Canada. As of December 31, 2013, we owned nearly 1,500 properties, including seniors housing communities, medical office buildings (“MOBs”), skilled nursing and other facilities, and hospitals, in 46 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces, and we had three new properties under development. Our company is currently headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. We primarily acquire and own seniors housing and healthcare properties and lease them to unaffiliated tenants or operate them through independent third-party managers. As of December 31, 2013, we leased a total of 907 properties (excluding MOBs and properties classified as held for sale) to various healthcare operating companies under “triple-net” or “absolute-net” leases that obligate the tenants to pay all property-related expenses, including maintenance, utilities, repairs, taxes, insurance and capital expenditures, and we engaged independent operators, such as Atria Senior Living, Inc. (“Atria”) and Sunrise Senior Living, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Sunrise”), to manage a total of 239 of our seniors housing communities pursuant to long-term management agreements. Our two largest tenants, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Brookdale Senior Living”) and Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Kindred”) leased from us 145 properties (excluding six properties included in investments in unconsolidated entities) and 142 properties, respectively, as of December 31, 2013. Through our Lillibridge Healthcare Services, Inc. (“Lillibridge”) subsidiary and our ownership interest in PMB Real Estate Services LLC (“PMBRES”), we also provide MOB management, leasing, marketing, facility development and advisory services to highly rated hospitals and health systems throughout the United States. In addition, from time to time, we make secured and unsecured loans and other investments relating to seniors housing and healthcare operators or properties.

Description of Business

Ventas, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated or except where the context otherwise requires, “we,” “us” or “our”), an S&P 500 company, is a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) with a highly diversified portfolio of seniors housing and healthcare properties located throughout the United States and Canada. As of December 31, 2013, we owned nearly 1,500 properties, including seniors housing communities, medical office buildings (“MOBs”), skilled nursing and other facilities, and hospitals, in 46 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces, and we had three new properties under development. Our company is currently headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

We primarily acquire and own seniors housing and healthcare properties and lease them to unaffiliated tenants or operate them through independent third-party managers. As of December 31, 2013, we leased a total of 907 properties (excluding MOBs and properties classified as held for sale) to various healthcare operating companies under “triple-net” or “absolute-net” leases that obligate the tenants to pay all property-related expenses, including maintenance, utilities, repairs, taxes, insurance and capital expenditures, and we engaged independent operators, such as Atria Senior Living, Inc. (“Atria”) and Sunrise Senior Living, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Sunrise”), to manage a total of 239 of our seniors housing communities pursuant to long-term management agreements. Our two largest tenants, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Brookdale Senior Living”) and Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Kindred”) leased from us 145 properties (excluding six properties included in investments in unconsolidated entities) and 142 properties, respectively, as of December 31, 2013.

Through our Lillibridge Healthcare Services, Inc. (“Lillibridge”) subsidiary and our ownership interest in PMB Real Estate Services LLC (“PMBRES”), we also provide MOB management, leasing, marketing, facility development and advisory services to highly rated hospitals and health systems throughout the United States. In addition, from time to time, we make secured and unsecured loans and other investments relating to seniors housing and healthcare operators or properties.