CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (UNAUDITED) (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc [Member]
Common shares issued upon exercise of options, in shares	8,300	15,800
Issuance of restricted shares, net of forfeitures (in shares)	348,844	1,302,729
Common shares issued in exchange for Operating Partnership units (in shares)	0	21,500
Exchange of Operating Partnership units for common shares (in shares)		21,500
Dividends paid per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.240	$ 0.225
Shares Paid for Tax Withholding for Share Based Compensation	30,578	0
Tanger Properties Limited Partnership [Member]
Common shares issued upon exercise of options, in shares	8,300	15,800
Issuance of restricted shares, net of forfeitures (in shares)	348,844	1,302,729
Shares Paid for Tax Withholding for Share Based Compensation	30,578
Common distributions (in dollars per share)	0.24	0.225