Stock-Based Compensation Plans (Details 5) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Employee and Directors Stock Options [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	1 month 6 days
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions and Methodology [Abstract]
Dividend yield (as a percent)			3.70%
Performance awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions and Methodology [Abstract]
Dividend yield (as a percent)	3.00%	3.60%	3.30%
Estimated volatility, minimum (as a percent)	12.00%	17.60%	17.00%
Estimated volatility, maximum (as a percent)	17.30%	18.60%	21.00%
Risk-free interest rate, minimum (as a percent)	0.07%	0.04%	0.09%
Risk-free interest rate, maximum (as a percent)	1.09%	0.72%	0.46%
Estimated performance award value based on total shareholder return measure (in dollars per share)	$ 139.18	$ 103.20	$ 70.00
Historical volatility (as a percent)	50.00%	50.00%	50.00%
Implied volatility (as a percent)	50.00%	50.00%	50.00%
Market closing price (in dollars per share)	$ 166.23	$ 128.97	$ 130.23

The historical volatility rate used in valuation technique of calculation of fair value of awards.

No definition available.

Name:	avb_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsWeightedAverageHistoricalVolatilityRate
Namespace Prefix:	avb_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The implied volatility rate used in valuation technique of calculation of fair value of awards.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	avb_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsWeightedAverageImpliedVolatilityRate
Namespace Prefix:	avb_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Weighted average period over which unrecognized compensation is expected to be recognized for equity-based compensation plans, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (i)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6415400&loc=d3e5070-113901

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognizedPeriodForRecognition1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsAndMethodologyAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Agreed-upon price for the exchange of the underlying asset relating to the share-based payment award.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsExercisePrice
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:perShareItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The estimated dividend rate (a percentage of the share price) to be paid (expected dividends) to holders of the underlying shares over the option's term.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (f)(2)(iii)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6415400&loc=d3e5070-113901

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsExpectedDividendRate
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The estimated measure of the maximum percentage by which a share price is expected to fluctuate during a period. Volatility also may be defined as a probability-weighted measure of the dispersion of returns about the mean. The volatility of a share price is the standard deviation of the continuously compounded rates of return on the share over a specified period. That is the same as the standard deviation of the differences in the natural logarithms of the stock prices plus dividends, if any, over the period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsExpectedVolatilityRateMaximum
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The estimated measure of the minimum percentage by which a share price is expected to fluctuate during a period. Volatility also may be defined as a probability-weighted measure of the dispersion of returns about the mean. The volatility of a share price is the standard deviation of the continuously compounded rates of return on the share over a specified period. That is the same as the standard deviation of the differences in the natural logarithms of the stock prices plus dividends, if any, over the period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsExpectedVolatilityRateMinimum
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The maximum risk-free interest rate assumption that is used in valuing an option on its own shares.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsRiskFreeInterestRateMaximum
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The minimum risk-free interest rate assumption that is used in valuing an option on its own shares.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsRiskFreeInterestRateMinimum
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Price of a single share of a number of saleable stocks of a company.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SharePrice
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:perShareItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=avb_EmployeeAndDirectorsStockOptionsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: