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Organization of the Company and Basis of Presentation - Additional Information (Detail) | 12 Months Ended |  |  |
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Dec. 31, 2014 | Dec. 30, 2014 | Dec. 31, 2013 | Dec. 30, 2013
Consolidation, Less than Wholly Owned Subsidiary, Parent Ownership Interest, Effects of Changes, Net [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Preferred Stock, Shares Issued | 0 us-gaap_PreferredStockSharesIssued |  | 0 us-gaap_PreferredStockSharesIssued |
Cumulative Series E Eighteen Point Seventy Five Percent Non-Voting Preferred Stock [Member] |  |  |  |
Consolidation, Less than Wholly Owned Subsidiary, Parent Ownership Interest, Effects of Changes, Net [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Preferred Stock, Shares Issued | 0 us-gaap_PreferredStockSharesIssued / us-gaap_StatementClassOfStockAxis = els_CumulativeSeriesEEighteenPointSevenFivePercentNonvotingPreferredStockMember | 250 us-gaap_PreferredStockSharesIssued / us-gaap_StatementClassOfStockAxis = els_CumulativeSeriesEEighteenPointSevenFivePercentNonvotingPreferredStockMember | 250 us-gaap_PreferredStockSharesIssued / us-gaap_StatementClassOfStockAxis = els_CumulativeSeriesEEighteenPointSevenFivePercentNonvotingPreferredStockMember | 250 us-gaap_PreferredStockSharesIssued / us-gaap_StatementClassOfStockAxis = els_CumulativeSeriesEEighteenPointSevenFivePercentNonvotingPreferredStockMember
Preferred Stock, Dividend Rate, Percentage | 18.75%us-gaap_PreferredStockDividendRatePercentage / us-gaap_StatementClassOfStockAxis = els_CumulativeSeriesEEighteenPointSevenFivePercentNonvotingPreferredStockMember |  |  |
Cumulative Series D Six Percent Non-Qualified Preferred Stock [Member] |  |  |  |
Consolidation, Less than Wholly Owned Subsidiary, Parent Ownership Interest, Effects of Changes, Net [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Preferred Stock, Shares Issued | 0 us-gaap_PreferredStockSharesIssued / us-gaap_StatementClassOfStockAxis = els_CumulativeSeriesDSixPercentNonQualifiedPreferredStockMember | 125 us-gaap_PreferredStockSharesIssued / us-gaap_StatementClassOfStockAxis = els_CumulativeSeriesDSixPercentNonQualifiedPreferredStockMember | 125 us-gaap_PreferredStockSharesIssued / us-gaap_StatementClassOfStockAxis = els_CumulativeSeriesDSixPercentNonQualifiedPreferredStockMember | 125 us-gaap_PreferredStockSharesIssued / us-gaap_StatementClassOfStockAxis = els_CumulativeSeriesDSixPercentNonQualifiedPreferredStockMember
Preferred Stock, Dividend Rate, Percentage | 6.00%us-gaap_PreferredStockDividendRatePercentage / us-gaap_StatementClassOfStockAxis = els_CumulativeSeriesDSixPercentNonQualifiedPreferredStockMember |  |  |

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