Earnings and Dividends per Share and Unit - Schedule of Calculations of Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share and per Unit and Non-dilutive Securities (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Schedule of Earnings Per Share and Dividends Per Share [Line Items]
Basic and dilutive net (loss) income attributable to Aimco common stockholders	$ (25,046)	$ 2,003	$ 20,845	$ 332,805
Basic weighted-average Common Stock outstanding	148,544	148,434	148,532	147,474
Dilutive share equivalents outstanding		202	96	218
Dilutive weighted-average Common Stock outstanding	148,544	148,636	148,628	147,692
Net income attributable to Aimco per common share – basic and diluted	$ (0.17)	$ 0.01	$ 0.14	$ 2.26
Non-dilutive share equivalents outstanding	9,007		8,337
AIMCO Properties, LP [Member]
Schedule of Earnings Per Share and Dividends Per Share [Line Items]
Basic and dilutive net (loss) income attributable to Aimco common stockholders	$ (26,387)	$ 2,138	$ 21,979	$ 351,594
Basic weighted-average Common Stock outstanding	156,508	156,618	156,559	155,644
Dilutive share equivalents outstanding		261	133	327
Dilutive weighted-average Common Stock outstanding	156,508	156,879	156,692	155,971
Net income attributable to Aimco per common share – basic and diluted	$ (0.17)	$ 0.01	$ 0.14	$ 2.26
Non-dilutive share equivalents outstanding	2,220		1,596