Share-Based Payments (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	$ 2,496	$ 4,572
Total unrecognized share-based compensation costs	$ 8,900
Weighted average remaining contractual term for recognition of unrecognized share-based compensation costs (in years)	2 years 4 months 24 days
Highwoods Properties, Inc. [Member] \| Time-Based Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Restricted stock shares granted (in shares)	83,116
Weighted average grant date fair value of each restricted stock share granted (in dollars per share)	$ 44.88
Highwoods Properties, Inc. [Member] \| Total Return-Based Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Restricted stock shares granted (in shares)	66,188
Weighted average grant date fair value of each restricted stock share granted (in dollars per share)	$ 38.31

Amount of cost not yet recognized for nonvested award under share-based payment arrangement.

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (i)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=116856206&loc=d3e5070-113901

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Weighted-average period over which cost not yet recognized is expected to be recognized for award under share-based payment arrangement, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

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Amount of noncash expense for share-based payment arrangement.

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-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 230
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 28
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The number of grants made during the period on other than stock (or unit) option plans (for example, phantom stock or unit plan, stock or unit appreciation rights plan, performance target plan).

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-Paragraph 2
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The weighted average fair value at grant date for nonvested equity-based awards issued during the period on other than stock (or unit) option plans (for example, phantom stock or unit plan, stock or unit appreciation rights plan, performance target plan).

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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.

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