Real Estate Assets Real Estate Assets Pro Forma (Details) - Pro Forma 2015 Acquisitions [Member] $ / shares in Units, ft² in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($) ft² property $ / shares	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($) ft² property $ / shares
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of buildings \| property	2	2
Rentable square feet of acquisition (in sqft) \| ft²	896	896
Business Combination, Purchase Price Allocation [Abstract]
Real estate assets	$ 275,639	$ 275,639
Acquisition-related intangible assets (in deferred leasing costs)	23,722	23,722
Acquisition-related below market lease liabilities (in accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities)	(9,076)	(9,076)
Total allocation	$ 290,285	290,285
Pro forma assumption date of acquisition	Jan. 01, 2014
Highwoods Properties, Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information [Abstract]
Pro forma revenues	$ 157,618	465,476
Pro forma net income	33,354	80,647
Pro forma net income available for common stockholders	$ 31,486	$ 75,524
Pro forma earnings per share - basic \| $ / shares	$ 0.33	$ 0.80
Pro forma earnings per share - diluted \| $ / shares	$ 0.33	$ 0.80

The date the transaction is assumed to be acquired with respect to pro forma disclosure.

No definition available.

Name:	hiw_BusinessAcquisitionProFormaAssumptionDateOfAcquisition
Namespace Prefix:	hiw_
Data Type:	xbrli:dateItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The pro forma net income (loss) available to common stockholders for a period as if the business combination or combinations had been completed at the beginning of a period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	hiw_BusinessAcquisitionProFormaNetIncomeLossAvailableToCommonStockholders
Namespace Prefix:	hiw_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The number of real estate office properties acquired.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	hiw_NumberOfOfficePropertiesAcquired
Namespace Prefix:	hiw_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Rentable Square Feet Of Acquisitions

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	hiw_RentableSquareFeetOfAcquisitions
Namespace Prefix:	hiw_
Data Type:	num:areaItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

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.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The pro forma basic net income per share for a period as if the business combination or combinations had been completed at the beginning of a period.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (h)(2)-(3)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65885119&loc=d3e1392-128463

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionProFormaEarningsPerShareBasic
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:perShareItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The pro forma diluted net income per share for a period as if the business combination or combinations had been completed at the beginning of a period.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionProFormaEarningsPerShareDiluted
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:perShareItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionProFormaInformationAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The pro forma net Income or Loss for the period as if the business combination or combinations had been completed at the beginning of a period.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionsProFormaNetIncomeLoss
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The pro forma revenue for a period as if the business combination or combinations had been completed at the beginning of the period.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionsProFormaRevenue
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The amount of identifiable intangible assets recognized as of the acquisition date.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 10
-Section 55
-Paragraph 37
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=73531372&loc=d3e2207-128464

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=73530397&loc=d3e4845-128472

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessCombinationRecognizedIdentifiableAssetsAcquiredAndLiabilitiesAssumedIntangibles
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of liabilities assumed at the acquisition date.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessCombinationRecognizedIdentifiableAssetsAcquiredAndLiabilitiesAssumedLiabilities
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount recognized as of the acquisition date for the identifiable assets acquired in excess of (less than) the aggregate liabilities assumed.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessCombinationRecognizedIdentifiableAssetsAcquiredAndLiabilitiesAssumedNet
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessCombinationRecognizedIdentifiableAssetsAcquiredAndLiabilitiesAssumedNetAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The amount of property, plant, and equipment recognized as of the acquisition date.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=73530397&loc=d3e4845-128472

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 10
-Section 55
-Paragraph 37
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=73531372&loc=d3e2207-128464

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessCombinationRecognizedIdentifiableAssetsAcquiredAndLiabilitiesAssumedPropertyPlantAndEquipment
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis=hiw_ProForma2015AcquisitionsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=us-gaap_ParentCompanyMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: