v3.5.0.2

ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Accounting for Historic and New Markets Tax Credits) (Details)	Sep. 30, 2016 property
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of real estate properties	1,300
Wexford Acquisition
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of real estate properties	11
Development Assets | Wexford Acquisition
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of real estate properties	2

X

- 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

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

X

- Definition

The number of real estate properties owned as of the balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_NumberOfRealEstateProperties
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

X

- Details

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

X

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_MortgageLoansOnRealEstateDescriptionTypeOfPropertyAxis=vtr_DevelopmentAssetsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: