Condensed Consolidated Statement of Capital (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Accounting standards update [Extensible List]	us-gaap:AccountingStandardsUpdate201613Member		us-gaap:AccountingStandardsUpdate201613Member	us-gaap:AccountingStandardsUpdate201613Member
Essex Portfolio, L.P.
Distribution declared (in dollars per share)	$ 2.0775	$ 1.95	$ 4.155	$ 3.90
Accounting standards update [Extensible List]	us-gaap:AccountingStandardsUpdate201613Member		us-gaap:AccountingStandardsUpdate201613Member	us-gaap:AccountingStandardsUpdate201613Member