Operating Partnerships	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Operating Partnerships [Abstract]
Operating Partnerships [Text Block]	5. Operating Partnerships At December 31, 2012, approximately 10% of our multifamily apartment homes were held in Camden Operating, L.P (“Camden Operating” or the “operating partnership”). Camden Operating has issued both common and preferred limited partnership units and as of December 31, 2012, we held 92.1% of the common limited partnership units and the sole 1% general partnership interest of the operating partnership. The remaining common limited partnership units, comprising approximately 0.8 million units, are primarily held by former officers, directors, and investors of Paragon Group, Inc., which we acquired in 1997. Each common limited partnership unit is redeemable for one common share of Camden or cash at our election. Holders of common limited partnership units are not entitled to rights as shareholders prior to redemption of their common limited partnership units. No member of our management owns Camden Operating common limited partnership units, and one of our ten trust managers owns Camden Operating common limited partnership units. At December 31, 2011, Camden Operating had 4.0 million of 7.0% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Units outstanding. Distributions on the preferred units were payable quarterly in arrears. In February 2012, we redeemed all of these outstanding units at their redemption price of $25.00 per unit, or an aggregate of $100.0 million, plus accrued and unpaid distributions. In connection with this redemption, the unamortized issuance costs relating to these units of approximately $2.1 million were expensed in the first quarter of 2012. As of December 31, 2011, we held the controlling managing member interest in Oasis Martinique, LLC, which owns one property in Orange County, California and is included in our consolidated financial statements. During the first quarter of 2012, the remaining non-managing member interests, comprising approximately 0.3 million units, were converted to approximately 0.2 million of our common shares, resulting in this entity being wholly-owned by us. At December 31, 2012, approximately 25% of our multifamily apartment homes were held in Camden Summit Partnership, L.P. (the “Camden Summit Partnership”). The Camden Summit Partnership has issued common limited partnership units and as of December 31, 2012, we held 94.3% of the common limited partnership units and the sole 1% general partnership interest of the Camden Summit Partnership. The remaining common limited partnership units, comprising approximately 1.1 million units, are primarily held by former officers, directors, and investors of Summit Properties Inc. (“Summit”), a company we acquired in 2005. Each common limited partnership unit is redeemable for one common share of Camden or cash at our election. Holders of common limited partnership units are not entitled to rights as shareholders prior to redemption of their common limited partnership units. No member of our management owns Camden Summit Partnership common limited partnership units, and two of our ten trust managers own Camden Summit Partnership common limited partnership units.

5. Operating Partnerships

At December 31, 2012, approximately 10% of our multifamily apartment homes were held in Camden Operating, L.P (“Camden Operating” or the “operating partnership”). Camden Operating has issued both common and preferred limited partnership units and as of December 31, 2012, we held 92.1% of the common limited partnership units and the sole 1% general partnership interest of the operating partnership. The remaining common limited partnership units, comprising approximately 0.8 million units, are primarily held by former officers, directors, and investors of Paragon Group, Inc., which we acquired in 1997. Each common limited partnership unit is redeemable for one common share of Camden or cash at our election. Holders of common limited partnership units are not entitled to rights as shareholders prior to redemption of their common limited partnership units. No member of our management owns Camden Operating common limited partnership units, and one of our ten trust managers owns Camden Operating common limited partnership units.

At December 31, 2011, Camden Operating had 4.0 million of 7.0% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Units outstanding. Distributions on the preferred units were payable quarterly in arrears. In February 2012, we redeemed all of these outstanding units at their redemption price of $25.00 per unit, or an aggregate of $100.0 million, plus accrued and unpaid distributions. In connection with this redemption, the unamortized issuance costs relating to these units of approximately $2.1 million were expensed in the first quarter of 2012.

As of December 31, 2011, we held the controlling managing member interest in Oasis Martinique, LLC, which owns one property in Orange County, California and is included in our consolidated financial statements. During the first quarter of 2012, the remaining non-managing member interests, comprising approximately 0.3 million units, were converted to approximately 0.2 million of our common shares, resulting in this entity being wholly-owned by us.

At December 31, 2012, approximately 25% of our multifamily apartment homes were held in Camden Summit Partnership, L.P. (the “Camden Summit Partnership”). The Camden Summit Partnership has issued common limited partnership units and as of December 31, 2012, we held 94.3% of the common limited partnership units and the sole 1% general partnership interest of the Camden Summit Partnership. The remaining common limited partnership units, comprising approximately 1.1 million units, are primarily held by former officers, directors, and investors of Summit Properties Inc. (“Summit”), a company we acquired in 2005. Each common limited partnership unit is redeemable for one common share of Camden or cash at our election. Holders of common limited partnership units are not entitled to rights as shareholders prior to redemption of their common limited partnership units. No member of our management owns Camden Summit Partnership common limited partnership units, and two of our ten trust managers own Camden Summit Partnership common limited partnership units.