Organization	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization	Organization The accompanying consolidated financial statements present the accounts of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (“Essex” or the “Company”), which include the accounts of the Company and Essex Portfolio, L.P. and subsidiaries (the “Operating Partnership,” which holds the operating assets of the Company). Unless otherwise indicated, the notes to consolidated financial statements apply to both the Company and the Operating Partnership. Essex is the sole general partner in the Operating Partnership with a 96.7% general partner interest and the limited partners owned a 3.3% interest as of December 31, 2017. The limited partners may convert their Operating Partnership units into an equivalent number of shares of Essex common stock. Total Operating Partnership limited partnership units outstanding were 2,268,114 and 2,237,290 as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and the redemption value of the units, based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock totaled approximately $547.5 million and $520.2 million, as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The Company has reserved shares of common stock for such conversions. As of December 31, 2017, the Company owned or had ownership interests in 247 operating apartment communities, aggregating 60,239 apartment homes, excluding the Company's ownership in preferred interest co-investments (collectively, the "Communities", and individually, a "Community"), one operating commercial building, and seven active developments (collectively, the “Portfolio”). The Communities are located in Southern California (Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Ventura counties), Northern California (the San Francisco Bay Area) and the Seattle metropolitan areas.

Organization

The accompanying consolidated financial statements present the accounts of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (“Essex” or the “Company”), which include the accounts of the Company and Essex Portfolio, L.P. and subsidiaries (the “Operating Partnership,” which holds the operating assets of the Company). Unless otherwise indicated, the notes to consolidated financial statements apply to both the Company and the Operating Partnership.

Essex is the sole general partner in the Operating Partnership with a 96.7% general partner interest and the limited partners owned a 3.3% interest as of December 31, 2017. The limited partners may convert their Operating Partnership units into an equivalent number of shares of Essex common stock. Total Operating Partnership limited partnership units outstanding were 2,268,114 and 2,237,290 as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and the redemption value of the units, based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock totaled approximately $547.5 million and $520.2 million, as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The Company has reserved shares of common stock for such conversions.

As of December 31, 2017, the Company owned or had ownership interests in 247 operating apartment communities, aggregating 60,239 apartment homes, excluding the Company's ownership in preferred interest co-investments (collectively, the "Communities", and individually, a "Community"), one operating commercial building, and seven active developments (collectively, the “Portfolio”). The Communities are located in Southern California (Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Ventura counties), Northern California (the San Francisco Bay Area) and the Seattle metropolitan areas.