VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES (Details) RSO (USD $)	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended		12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended				12 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		0 Months Ended			12 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	May 31, 2013 RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] trust	Dec. 31, 2011 RSO [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 RSO [Member] Series B Preferred Stock [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 RSO [Member] Interest in LCC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Interest in RCT I and RCT II [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Interest in RCT I and RCT II [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 RSO [Member] Interest in RCT I and RCT II [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Interest in RCT I [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Interest in RCT II [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 RSO [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Jun. 19, 2012 RSO [Member] Varde Investment Partners, LP [Member] Property	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate Management, LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate Management, LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Varde Investment Partners, LP [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate [Member]	Dec. 01, 2009 RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Varde Investment Partners, LP [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Varde Investment Partners, LP [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Interest in RCT I and RCT II [Member]	Jul. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] CVC Global Credit Opportunities Fund, LP [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] CVC Global Credit Opportunities Fund, LP [Member]	Jun. 19, 2012 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Varde Investment Partners, LP [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Dec. 01, 2009 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member] Minimum [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member] Maximum [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] Series A Preferred Stock [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] Series B Preferred Stock [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] Series D Preferred Stock [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Interest in RCT I and RCT II [Member]	Jan. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Life Care Funding, LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Life Care Funding, LLC [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Equity Method Investments																													$ 15,000,000															$ 2,000,000
Investment management fee, percentage																														1.50%
Shares received in equity method transaction (in shares)																																								31,341	4,872	2,364
Preferred stock, coupon authorized (in hundredths)								8.00%
Ownership percentage in VIE				68.30%																											7.50%						26.70%	27.50%					100.00%
Investments in unconsolidated entities					74,438,000	45,413,000							774,000	774,000	0	2,300,000										674,000	526,000			16,200,000		0	2,300,000	2,100,000			36,300,000	41,000,000	33,100,000				1,500,000		1,500,000
Loss on transaction									2,200,000
Net income (loss) of equity holdings					183,000	3,300,000	0
Ownership percentage																												3.00%
Number of trusts						2
Related party interest expense										2,400,000	2,500,000	3,300,000
Amortization of deferred debt issuance costs										191,000	183,000	277,000
Required contribution to joint venture, as a percentage of the total funding required for each asset acquisition on a monthly basis																																			3.00%	5.00%
Asset management fees percentage																					1.00%				1.00%
Management fees − related party					14,220,000	18,512,000	11,022,000												38,000	39,000		28,000	45,000	55,000
Equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated entities	$ 5,389,000	$ 4,083,000	$ 9,507,000		$ 949,000	$ (2,709,000)	$ 112,000								$ 278,000	$ 683,000	$ 112,000									$ 148,000	$ (135,000)			$ 1,200,000															$ (470,000)
Number of condominium developments purchased by joint venture																		2