Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2024
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 office real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that owns, develops, acquires, leases and manages properties primarily in the best business districts of Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh, Richmond and Tampa. The Company conducts its activities through Highwoods Realty Limited Partnership (the “Operating Partnership”). As of March 31, 2024, we owned or had an interest in 28.3 million rentable square feet of in-service properties, 1.6 million rentable square feet of office properties under development and development land with approximately 5.2 million rentable square feet of potential office build out. Capital Structure The Company is the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. As of March 31, 2024, the Company owned all of the Preferred Units and 105.6 million, or 98.0%, of the Common Units in the Operating Partnership. Limited partners owned the remaining 2.2 million Common Units. During the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Company redeemed 5,385 Common Units for a like number of shares of Common Stock. During 2023, we entered into separate equity distribution agreements in which the Company may offer and sell up to $300.0 million in aggregate gross sales price of shares of Common Stock. During the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Company issued no shares of Common Stock under its equity distribution agreements. Basis of Presentation Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). 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. We consolidate joint venture investments, such as interests in partnerships and limited liability companies, when we control the major operating and financial policies of the investment through majority ownership, in our capacity as a general partner or managing member or through some other contractual right. In addition, we consolidate those entities deemed to be variable interest entities in which we are determined to be the primary beneficiary. As of March 31, 2024, we are involved with six entities we determined to be variable interest entities, one of which we are the primary beneficiary and is consolidated and five of which we are not the primary beneficiary and are not consolidated. All intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated. In the opinion of management, the unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying unaudited consolidated financial information 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 2023 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 our Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Insurance We are primarily self-insured for health care claims for participating employees. To limit our exposure to significant claims, we have stop-loss coverage on a per claim and annual aggregate basis. We use all relevant information to determine our liabilities for claims, including actuarial estimates of claim liabilities. When determining our liabilities, we include claims for incurred losses, even if they are unreported. As of March 31, 2024, a reserve of $0.5 million was recorded to cover estimated reported and unreported claims. Recently Issued Accounting Standards The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an accounting standards update (“ASU”) that provides temporary optional expedients and exceptions to ease the financial reporting burdens related to the expected market transition from LIBOR and other interbank offered rates to alternative reference rates, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). These optional expedients and exceptions provide guidance on contract modifications and hedge accounting. We have completed the transition to SOFR rates for our outstanding debt instruments with no material impact to our Consolidated Financial Statements. The FASB issued an ASU that will require enhanced segment disclosures, primarily regarding significant segment expenses. The ASU is required to be adopted in our 2024 Annual Report and applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. We do not expect such adoption to have a material effect on our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.