REDEEMABLE INTERESTS AND NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS - Operating Partnership (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020 unitholder shares	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) shares	Nov. 30, 2005 quarter $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) unitholder shares	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) unitholder shares	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) unitholder shares	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($) shares	Jun. 30, 2005 quarter $ / shares shares	Jul. 31, 2004 USD ($) $ / shares shares
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Value of redemption of units | $					$ 96	$ 2,246
Redeemable noncontrolling interest, units exercised for conversion (shares)					72,592	526,510
Number of holders of common units who received cash for their units (unitholder) | unitholder					1	2
Operating Partnership
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Redeemable noncontrolling interest, ownership interest of noncontrolling owners (as a percent)				0.80%	0.80%
Noncontrolling interest, ownership interest of noncontrolling owners (as a percent)				1.80%	12.20%
K-SCUs
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Value of redemption of units | $		$ 21
Redeemable noncontrolling interest, units exercised for conversion (shares)		8,120
Operating Partnership
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Units of partnership interest (shares)				5,117,856	26,073,966
Redeemable noncontrolling interest, units exercised for conversion (shares)				20,956,110	611,847	915,338
Redeemable noncontrolling interest, shares issued upon exercise of common units (shares)				20,956,110	611,847	915,338
Number of holders of common units who received cash for their units (unitholder) | unitholder				31	2	1
Redeemable noncontrolling interest, allocation from (to) shareholder's equity, adjustment | $ | $				$ 302	$ 3,398	$ 4,065
Noncontrolling interest, allocation from (to) Shareholder's Equity, Adjustment | $ | $				$ 6,002	$ 4,392	$ 13,642
Operating Partnership | CBL's Predecessor
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Units of partnership interest (shares)					18,117,350
Operating Partnership | Third Parties
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Units of partnership interest (shares)				5,117,856	7,956,616
Operating Partnership | The Company
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Redeemable noncontrolling interests | $ | $				$ (265)	$ 2,160
Noncontrolling interests | $				$ (604)	$ 31,592
Operating Partnership | S-SCUs
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Units of partnership interest (shares)									1,560,940
Limited partnership agreement, noncontrolling interest redemption right, acquisition price threshold of qualifying property | $									$ 20,000
Operating Partnership | S-SCUs | After Five Years
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Limited partnership agreement, annual distribution term, amount per unit (USD per unit) | $ / shares									$ 2.92875
Operating Partnership | L-SCUs
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Units of partnership interest (shares)								571,700
Limited partnership agreement, condition to participate in Distribution at common unit rate , number of consecutive quarters of distribution exceeding minimum (quarter) | quarter								4
Operating Partnership | L-SCUs | Earlier of June 1, 2020 Or When Distribution Exceeds Minimum
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Limited partnership agreement, annual distribution term, amount per unit (USD per unit) | $ / shares								$ 3.0288
Limited partnership agreement, quarterly distribution term, amount per unit (USD per unit) | $ / shares								$ 0.7572
Operating Partnership | Common Units
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Units of partnership interest (shares)							622,278
Partnership units, value | $							$ 14,000
Ownership interest acquired (as a percent)							30.00%
Operating Partnership | K-SCUs
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Units of partnership interest (shares)			1,144,924
Limited partnership agreement, condition to participate in Distribution at common unit rate , number of consecutive quarters of distribution exceeding minimum (quarter) | quarter			4
Redeemable noncontrolling interest, units exercised for conversion (shares)	267,983
Redeemable noncontrolling interest, shares issued upon exercise of common units (shares)	267,983
Number of holders of common units who received cash for their units (unitholder) | unitholder	1
Operating Partnership | K-SCUs | After First Year
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Partnership unit, dividend rate (as a percent)			6.25%
Partnership unit, dividends (USD per share) | $ / shares			$ 2.96875
Limited partnership agreement, redemption right, conversion rate to common stock, per share			1