Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies Description of Business Highwoods Properties, Inc. (the “Company”) is a fully-integrated real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that provides leasing, management, development, construction and other customer-related services for its properties and for third parties. The Company conducts its activities through Highwoods Realty Limited Partnership (the “Operating Partnership”). At June 30, 2014, we owned or had an interest in 32.1 million rentable square feet of in-service office, industrial and retail properties, 0.9 million rentable square feet of office properties under development and approximately 600 acres of development land. The Company is the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. At June 30, 2014, the Company owned all of the Preferred Units and 90.0 million, or 96.9%, of the Common Units in the Operating Partnership. Limited partners own the remaining 2.9 million Common Units. During the six months ended June 30, 2014, the Company redeemed 2,500 Common Units for less than $0.1 million in cash and redeemed 4,417 Common Units for a like number of shares of Common Stock. Common Stock Offerings During the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, the Company issued 50,293 and 73,877 shares of Common Stock, respectively, under its equity sales agreements at an average gross sales price of $38.38 and $38.35 per share, respectively, and received net proceeds, after sales commissions, of $1.9 million and $2.8 million, respectively. As a result of this activity and the redemptions discussed above, the percentage of Common Units owned by the Company increased from 96.8% at December 31, 2013 to 96.9% at June 30, 2014. Basis of Presentation Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Our Consolidated Statements of Income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2013 were retrospectively revised from previously reported amounts to reflect in discontinued operations the operations for those properties classified as discontinued operations. The Company's Consolidated Financial Statements include the Operating Partnership, wholly owned subsidiaries and those entities in which the Company has the controlling interest. The Operating Partnership's Consolidated Financial Statements include wholly owned subsidiaries and those entities in which the Operating Partnership has the controlling interest. All intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated. At June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, we had involvement with, but are not the primary beneficiary in, an entity that we concluded to be a variable interest entity (see Note 3). The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and accompanying unaudited consolidated financial information, in the opinion of management, contain all adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. We have condensed or omitted certain notes and other information from the interim Consolidated Financial Statements presented in this Quarterly Report as permitted by SEC rules and regulations. These Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with our 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Use of Estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. 1. Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies – Continued Recently Issued Accounting Standards The Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") recently issued an accounting standard update that requires only those real estate asset sales representing a strategic shift in operations (e.g., a disposal of a major geographic area or a major line of business) to be reflected in discontinued operations. This accounting standard update is required to be adopted in 2015. Early adoption is permitted, but only for real estate asset sales that have not been previously reflected as discontinued operations. We elected to early adopt the accounting standard update as of April 1, 2014, resulting in the operations of current period dispositions and property classified as held for sale at June 30, 2014 being included in continuing operations on our Consolidated Statements of Income. Prior to adoption, we were generally required to reflect all real estate asset sales as discontinued operations, which required reclassification of the earnings of the sold assets from continuing operations for all periods presented. The FASB recently issued an accounting standard update that requires the use of a new five-step model to recognize revenue from customer contracts. The five-step model requires that we identify the contract with the customer, identify the performance obligations in the contract, determine the transaction price, allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and recognize revenue when we satisfy the performance obligations. We will also be required to disclose information regarding the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The accounting standard update is required to be adopted in 2017. Retrospective application is required either to all periods presented or with the cumulative effect of initial adoption recognized in the period of adoption. We are in the process of evaluating this accounting standard update.

Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies

Description of Business

Highwoods Properties, Inc. (the “Company”) is a fully-integrated real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that provides leasing, management, development, construction and other customer-related services for its properties and for third parties. The Company conducts its activities through Highwoods Realty Limited Partnership (the “Operating Partnership”). At June 30, 2014, we owned or had an interest in 32.1 million rentable square feet of in-service office, industrial and retail properties, 0.9 million rentable square feet of office properties under development and approximately 600 acres of development land.

The Company is the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. At June 30, 2014, the Company owned all of the Preferred Units and 90.0 million, or 96.9%, of the Common Units in the Operating Partnership. Limited partners own the remaining 2.9 million Common Units. During the six months ended June 30, 2014, the Company redeemed 2,500 Common Units for less than $0.1 million in cash and redeemed 4,417 Common Units for a like number of shares of Common Stock.

Common Stock Offerings

During the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, the Company issued 50,293 and 73,877 shares of Common Stock, respectively, under its equity sales agreements at an average gross sales price of $38.38 and $38.35 per share, respectively, and received net proceeds, after sales commissions, of $1.9 million and $2.8 million, respectively. As a result of this activity and the redemptions discussed above, the percentage of Common Units owned by the Company increased from 96.8% at December 31, 2013 to 96.9% at June 30, 2014.

Basis of Presentation

Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Our Consolidated Statements of Income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2013 were retrospectively revised from previously reported amounts to reflect in discontinued operations the operations for those properties classified as discontinued operations.

The Company's Consolidated Financial Statements include the Operating Partnership, wholly owned subsidiaries and those entities in which the Company has the controlling interest. The Operating Partnership's Consolidated Financial Statements include wholly owned subsidiaries and those entities in which the Operating Partnership has the controlling interest. All intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated. At June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, we had involvement with, but are not the primary beneficiary in, an entity that we concluded to be a variable interest entity (see Note 3).

The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and accompanying unaudited consolidated financial information, in the opinion of management, contain all adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. We have condensed or omitted certain notes and other information from the interim Consolidated Financial Statements presented in this Quarterly Report as permitted by SEC rules and regulations. These Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with our 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

1. Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies – Continued

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

The Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") recently issued an accounting standard update that requires only those real estate asset sales representing a strategic shift in operations (e.g., a disposal of a major geographic area or a major line of business) to be reflected in discontinued operations. This accounting standard update is required to be adopted in 2015. Early adoption is permitted, but only for real estate asset sales that have not been previously reflected as discontinued operations. We elected to early adopt the accounting standard update as of April 1, 2014, resulting in the operations of current period dispositions and property classified as held for sale at June 30, 2014 being included in continuing operations on our Consolidated Statements of Income. Prior to adoption, we were generally required to reflect all real estate asset sales as discontinued operations, which required reclassification of the earnings of the sold assets from continuing operations for all periods presented.

The FASB recently issued an accounting standard update that requires the use of a new five-step model to recognize revenue from customer contracts. The five-step model requires that we identify the contract with the customer, identify the performance obligations in the contract, determine the transaction price, allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and recognize revenue when we satisfy the performance obligations. We will also be required to disclose information regarding the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The accounting standard update is required to be adopted in 2017. Retrospective application is required either to all periods presented or with the cumulative effect of initial adoption recognized in the period of adoption. We are in the process of evaluating this accounting standard update.