Sun Communities (SUI) 10-Q 22 Oct 20 2020 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Cover Page

Cover Page - shares	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Oct. 15, 2020
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Document Quarterly Report	true
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2020
Entity Current Reporting Status		Yes
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	MD
Title of 12(b) Security		Common Stock, $0.01 par value
Document Transition Report	false
Entity File Number	1-12616
Trading Symbol		SUI
Entity Registrant Name	SUN COMMUNITIES INC
Entity Filer Category		Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding			98,280,096
Entity Emerging Growth Company		false
Entity Small Business		false
Security Exchange Name		NYSE
Entity Tax Identification Number	38-2730780
Entity Address, Address Line One		27777 Franklin Rd,
Entity Address, Address Line Two		Suite 200,
Entity Address, City or Town		Southfield,
Entity Address, State or Province		MI
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code		48034
Entity Interactive Data Current		Yes
Entity Shell Company		false
City Area Code		248
Local Phone Number		208-2500
Entity Central Index Key		0000912593
Document Fiscal Year Focus		2020
Document Fiscal Period Focus		Q3
Current Fiscal Year End Date		--12-31
Amendment Flag		false

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
ASSETS
Land	$ 1,441,372	$ 1,414,279
Land improvements and buildings	7,119,163	6,595,272
Rental homes and improvements	649,004	627,175
Furniture, fixtures and equipment	338,236	282,874
Investment property	9,547,775	8,919,600
Accumulated depreciation	(1,900,306)	(1,686,980)
Real Estate Investment Property, Net, Total	7,647,469	7,232,620
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	115,529	34,830
Marketable securities	107,083	94,727
Inventory of manufactured homes	48,130	62,061
Notes and other receivables, net	191,508	157,926
Other Assets	225,998	219,896
Total Assets	8,335,717	7,802,060
LIABILITIES
Secured Debt	3,191,380	3,180,592
Lines of credit and other debt	79,321	183,898
Distributions payable	79,600	71,704
Advanced reservation deposits and rent	146,909	133,420
Accounts Payable	140,848	127,289
Other Liabilities	83,952	81,289
Total Liabilities	3,791,922	3,848,104
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest, Equity, Common, Carrying Amount	27,513	27,091
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Common Stock, Value, Issued	983	932
Additional paid-in capital	5,851,380	5,213,264
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(2,226)	(1,331)
Distributions in excess of accumulated earnings	(1,491,338)	(1,393,141)
Total Sun Communities, Inc. stockholders' equity	4,358,799	3,819,724
Noncontrolling interests:
Common and preferred OP units	61,350	47,686
Consolidated VIEs (fully attributable to consolidated VIEs; see Note 7)	11,097	8,542
Total noncontrolling interests	72,447	56,228
Total Stockholders' Equity	4,431,246	3,875,952
Total Liabilities, Temporary Equity and Stockholders' Equity	8,335,717	7,802,060
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member]
ASSETS
Real Estate Investment Property, Net, Total	385,296	344,300
Other Assets	24,651	23,894
Total Assets	409,947	368,194
LIABILITIES
Secured Debt	46,197	46,993
Preferred OP units - mandatorily redeemable	35,249	35,249
Other Liabilities	21,380	13,631
Total Liabilities	102,826	95,873
Noncontrolling interests:
Consolidated VIEs (fully attributable to consolidated VIEs; see Note 7)	11,097	8,542
Series D Preferred OP Units
LIABILITIES
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest, Equity, Preferred, Carrying Amount	50,034	50,913
Series F Preferred OP Units
LIABILITIES
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest, Equity, Preferred, Carrying Amount	8,930	0
Series G Preferred OP Units
LIABILITIES
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest, Equity, Preferred, Carrying Amount	26,072	0
Preferred Equity, Mandatorily Redeemable [Member]
LIABILITIES
Preferred OP units - mandatorily redeemable	35,249	35,249
Aspen Series B3 Preferred Operating Partnership Units [Member]
LIABILITIES
Secured Debt	34,663
Preferred OP units - mandatorily redeemable	$ 34,663	$ 34,663

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Investment property, net	$ 7,647,469	$ 7,232,620
Other assets	225,998	219,896
Secured debt	3,191,380	3,180,592
Other liabilities	$ 83,952	$ 81,289
Common Stock, Par Value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common Stock, Shares Authorized	180,000,000	180,000,000
Common Stock, Shares Issued	98,280,000	93,180,000
Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	98,280,000	93,180,000

Consolidated Statements Of Oper

Consolidated Statements Of Operations - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
REVENUES
Income from real property	$ 284,373	$ 251,163	$ 753,642	$ 689,890
Revenue from home sales	47,662	49,805	126,779	136,665
Rental home revenue	16,171	14,444	46,611	42,827
Ancillary revenue	43,803	37,259	66,373	67,157
Interest income	2,624	4,770	7,609	14,489
Brokerage commissions and other revenues, net	5,881	5,002	13,068	11,190
Total Revenues	400,514	362,443	1,014,082	962,218
Expenses
Real estate taxes	17,442	15,399	52,341	46,455
Property operating and maintenance	90,647	79,095	219,908	202,892
Cost of home sales	36,237	36,318	95,450	100,030
Rental home operating and maintenance	5,949	6,444	16,128	16,453
Ancillary expenses	20,023	18,752	35,731	38,333
Home selling expenses	3,652	3,972	10,508	10,922
General and administrative expenses	27,243	22,946	79,493	68,530
Catastrophic weather-related charges, net	14	341	54	1,302
Depreciation and amortization	88,499	76,532	259,453	229,241
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)	0	12,755	5,209	13,478
Interest expense	30,214	32,219	94,058	99,894
Interest on mandatorily redeemable preferred OP units / equity	1,047	1,216	3,130	3,491
Total Expenses	320,967	305,989	871,463	831,021
Income Before Other Items	79,547	56,454	142,619	131,197
Gain / (loss) on remeasurement of marketable securities (see Note 14)	1,492	12,661	(2,636)	16,548
Gain / (loss) on foreign currency translation	4,664	(3,046)	(2,441)	35
Gain on disposition of property	5,595	0	5,595	0
Other expense, net	(2,524)	(1,362)	(3,378)	(1,524)
Loss on remeasurement of notes receivable (see Note 4)	(445)	0	(2,311)	0
Current tax benefit / (expense) (see Note 12)	107	(420)	(462)	(906)
Loss on remeasurement of investment in nonconsolidated affiliates (see Note 6)	(446)	0	(1,505)	0
Deferred tax benefit / (expense) (see Note 12)	562	(349)	804	36
Net Income	89,756	64,451	137,633	146,694
Less: Preferred return to preferred OP units / equity	1,645	1,599	4,799	4,640
Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interests	6,907	5,422	8,806	9,048
Net Income Attributable to Sun Communities, Inc.	81,204	57,430	124,028	133,006
Less: Preferred stock distribution	0	428	0	1,288
Net Income Attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. Common Stockholders	$ 81,204	$ 57,002	$ 124,028	$ 131,718
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic	97,542	89,847	95,270	87,499
Weighted average common shares outstanding - diluted	97,549	90,332	95,273	87,500
Earnings per share:
Basic earnings per share (see Note 13)	$ 0.83	$ 0.63	$ 1.29	$ 1.49
Diluted earnings per share (see Note 13)	$ 0.83	$ 0.63	$ 1.29	$ 1.49
Distributions from Affiliate	$ 1,204	$ 513	$ 1,348	$ 1,380

Consolidated Statements Of Comp

Consolidated Statements Of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net Income	$ 89,756	$ 64,451	$ 137,633	$ 146,694
Foreign currency translation gain / (loss) adjustment	(2,146)	(1,717)	1,282	1,771
Total Comprehensive Income	91,902	62,734	136,351	148,465
Less: Comprehensive Income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(6,804)	(5,346)	(8,419)	(9,140)
Comprehensive Income attributable to Sun Communities, Inc.	$ 85,098	$ 57,388	$ 127,932	$ 139,325

Consolidated Statements Of Cash

Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net Cash Provided By Operating Activities	$ 464,458	$ 398,293
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Investment in properties	(401,976)	(412,092)
Acquisitions of properties, net of cash acquired	(256,359)	(403,889)
Proceeds from dispositions of assets and depreciated homes, net	37,389	43,157
Proceeds from disposition of properties	12,612	0
Issuance of notes and other receivables	(35,188)	(30,186)
Repayments of notes and other receivables	2,713	3,249
Investments in nonconsolidated affiliates	(33,390)	(42,896)
Distributions from nonconsolidated affiliates	8,491	43,406
Net Cash Used For Investing Activities	(665,708)	(799,251)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Issuance of common stock, OP units, and preferred OP units, net	619,793	441,871
Borrowings on lines of credit	1,221,980	2,681,980
Payments on lines of credit	(1,328,440)	(2,669,348)
Proceeds from issuance of other debt	230,000	523,721
Payments on other debt	(220,288)	(372,219)
Prepayment penalty on collateralized term loans	(6,226)	(12,610)
Distributions to stockholders, OP unit holders, and preferred OP unit holders	(231,500)	(205,639)
Payments for deferred financing costs	(3,322)	(6,568)
Net Cash Provided By Financing Activities	281,997	380,131
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(48)	291
Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	80,699	(20,536)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	34,830	62,262
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash, End of Period	115,529	41,726
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:
Interest Paid, Excluding Capitalized Interest, Operating Activities	100,047	99,925
Cash paid for interest on mandatorily redeemable debt	3,130	3,132
Cash paid for income taxes	1,069	818
Noncash investing and financing activities
Reduction in secured borrowing balance	0	14,062
Change in distributions declared and outstanding	7,861	6,442
Conversion of common and preferred OP units	793	1,411
Noncash Or Part Noncash Acquisition, Noncash Financial Or Equity Instrument Consideration, Escrow	0	1,395
Series A Preferred Stock [Member]
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from (Payments for) Other Financing Activities	0	1,618
Noncash investing and financing activities
Conversion Of Series A Four Preferred Stock	0	337
Common Stock And OP Units
Noncash investing and financing activities
Stock Issued During Period, Value, New Issues, Series A-4 Preferred OP Units	10,114	0
Debt
Noncash investing and financing activities
Stock Issued During Period, Value, New Issues, Series A-4 Preferred OP Units	0	3,900
Series D Preferred Stock [Member]
Noncash investing and financing activities
Stock Issued During Period, Value, New Issues, Series A-4 Preferred OP Units	0	51,930
Series B-3 Preferred OP Units [Member]
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Redemption of Series A-4 preferred stock and OP units	0	(2,675)
Series E Preferred OP Units
Noncash investing and financing activities
Stock Issued During Period, Value, New Issues, Series A-4 Preferred OP Units	9,000	0
Series F Preferred OP Units
Noncash investing and financing activities
Stock Issued During Period, Value, New Issues, Series A-4 Preferred OP Units	9,000	0
Series G Preferred OP Units
Noncash investing and financing activities
Stock Issued During Period, Value, New Issues, Series A-4 Preferred OP Units	26,071	0
Deferred Liability
Noncash investing and financing activities
Stock Issued During Period, Value, New Issues, Series A-4 Preferred OP Units	$ 0	$ 12,597

Consolidated Statements Of Ca_2

Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Statement of Cash Flows [Abstract]
Interest Costs Capitalized	$ 7,169	$ 5,673

Consolidated Statement Of Stock

Consolidated Statement Of Stockholders' Equity - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Distributions in Excess of Accumulated Earnings	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	Non-controlling Interests	Total Stockholders’ Equity	Total Equity	Common OP Units	Common OP UnitsCommon Stock	Common OP UnitsAdditional Paid-in Capital	Common OP UnitsNon-controlling Interests
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 63,592
Increase (Decrease) in Temporary Equity [Roll Forward]
Equity Interests	256
Issuance of Series D OP units	51,930
Net income (loss)	178
Distributions	(528)
Ending Balance at Mar. 31, 2019	115,428
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	3,167,322	$ 864	$ 4,398,949	$ (1,288,486)	$ (4,504)	$ 60,499		$ 3,230,914
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Issuance of common stock and common OP units, net	(4,321)	1	(4,322)					(4,321)
Conversion of OP units			(280)			280
Equity interests	256			65		191
Share-based compensation - amortization and forfeitures	3,793		3,719	74				3,793
Change in carrying value of temporary equity								(51,930)
Foreign currency translation	1,575				1,498	77		1,575
Net income (loss)	36,949			36,086		863		37,127
Distributions	(68,153)		15	(65,214)		(2,954)		(68,681)
Ending Balance at Mar. 31, 2019	3,136,909	865	4,398,641	(1,317,605)	(3,006)	58,014		3,252,337
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	63,592
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2019	119,651
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	3,167,322	864	4,398,949	(1,288,486)	(4,504)	60,499		3,230,914
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Change in carrying value of temporary equity	1,771
Net income (loss)	133,006
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2019	3,557,220	907	4,854,958	(1,353,214)	(2,825)	57,394		3,676,871
Beginning Balance at Mar. 31, 2019	115,428
Increase (Decrease) in Temporary Equity [Roll Forward]
Equity Interests	117
Conversion of Series A-4 preferred stock	(337)
Net income (loss)	15
Distributions	(558)
Ending Balance at Jun. 30, 2019	114,553
Beginning Balance at Mar. 31, 2019	3,136,909	865	4,398,641	(1,317,605)	(3,006)	58,014		3,252,337
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Issuance of common stock and common OP units, net	447,741	37	447,704					447,741
Conversion of OP units	(337)		(337)						$ (112)	$ (5)	$ (242)	$ 135
Equity interests	117			308		(191)
Share-based compensation - amortization and forfeitures	4,498		4,414	84				4,498
Foreign currency translation	1,913				1,822	91		1,913
Net income (loss)	45,101			42,531		2,570		45,116
Distributions	(71,151)		(15)	(68,494)		(2,642)		(71,709)
Ending Balance at Jun. 30, 2019	3,565,343	907	4,851,323	(1,343,792)	(1,184)	58,089		3,679,896
Increase (Decrease) in Temporary Equity [Roll Forward]
Equity Interests	3,192
Net income (loss)	2,533
Distributions	(627)
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2019	119,651
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Issuance of common stock and common OP units, net	(1,549)		(1,549)					(1,549)
Conversion of OP units											(884)	884
Equity interests	93			93				(3,099)
Change in carrying value of temporary equity	(1,717)
Foreign currency translation	(1,717)				(1,641)	(76)		(1,717)
Net income (loss)	57,430			59,028		2,890	$ 61,918	64,451
Distributions	(71,064)			(68,439)		(2,625)		(71,691)
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2019	3,557,220	907	4,854,958	(1,353,214)	(2,825)	57,394		3,676,871
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2019	78,004
Increase (Decrease) in Temporary Equity [Roll Forward]
Equity Interests	98
Net income (loss)	(1,195)
Distributions	(457)
Ending Balance at Mar. 31, 2020	76,450
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2019	3,875,952	932	5,213,264	(1,393,141)	(1,331)	56,228		3,953,956
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Issuance of common stock and common OP units, net	(7,140)	1	(7,141)					(7,140)
Conversion of OP units											(446)	446
Equity interests	85			85				(13)
Share-based compensation - amortization and forfeitures	5,021		4,928	93				5,021
Change in carrying value of temporary equity	(9,000)		(181)			(8,819)		(9,000)
Foreign currency translation	(7,300)				(6,994)	(306)		(7,300)
Remeasurement of notes receivable and equity method investment (see Note 17)	1,953			1,953				1,953
Net income (loss)	(14,283)			(14,514)		231		(15,478)
Distributions	(76,648)			(73,730)		(2,918)		(77,105)
Ending Balance at Mar. 31, 2020	3,786,470	933	5,211,678	(1,479,424)	(8,325)	61,608		3,862,920
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2019	78,004
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2020	112,549
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2019	3,875,952	932	5,213,264	(1,393,141)	(1,331)	56,228		3,953,956
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Change in carrying value of temporary equity	1,282
Net income (loss)	124,028
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2020	4,431,246	983	5,851,380	(1,491,338)	(2,226)	72,447		4,543,795
Beginning Balance at Mar. 31, 2020	76,450
Increase (Decrease) in Temporary Equity [Roll Forward]
Equity Interests	(641)
Net income (loss)	(300)
Distributions	(492)
Ending Balance at Jun. 30, 2020	83,982
Beginning Balance at Mar. 31, 2020	3,786,470	933	5,211,678	(1,479,424)	(8,325)	61,608		3,862,920
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Issuance of common stock and common OP units, net	638,669	49	628,506			10,114		638,669
Conversion of OP units										$ (1)	(130)	131
Equity interests	67			67				708
Issuance of Series F preferred OP units	8,965							8,965
Share-based compensation - amortization and forfeitures	7,376		7,284	92				7,376
Foreign currency translation	3,872				3,850	22		3,872
Net income (loss)	63,655			60,492		3,163		63,355
Distributions	(80,606)			(77,635)		(2,971)		(81,098)
Ending Balance at Jun. 30, 2020	4,419,369	983	5,847,598	(1,496,542)	(4,475)	71,805		4,503,351
Increase (Decrease) in Temporary Equity [Roll Forward]
Equity Interests	67
Net income (loss)	2,958
Distributions	(529)
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2020	112,549
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Issuance of common stock and common OP units, net	(1,622)		(1,622)					(1,622)
Conversion of OP units											$ (216)	$ 216
Equity interests	67			67
Issuance of Series F preferred OP units	26,071							26,071
Share-based compensation - amortization and forfeitures	5,251		5,188	63				5,251
Change in carrying value of temporary equity	(2,146)
Foreign currency translation	2,146				2,249	(103)		2,146
Net income (loss)	81,204			82,849		3,949	$ 86,798	89,756
Distributions	(80,629)			(77,641)		(2,988)		(81,158)
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2020	$ 4,431,246	$ 983	$ 5,851,380	$ (1,491,338)	$ (2,226)	$ 72,447		$ 4,543,795

Equity and Temporary Equity Equ

Equity and Temporary Equity Equity and Temporary Equity, Dividends Payable Table (Details) - Common Stock $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)$ / shares
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends per common share | $ / shares	$ 0.79
Payments of dividends | $	$ 79,594

Equity and Temporary Equity E_2

Equity and Temporary Equity Equity and Temporary Equity, Schedule of Sale of Common Stock (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended						15 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Aggregate Value of Shares to be Issued in Accordance to Sales Agreement			$ 450,000
Issuance of common stock and common OP units, net	$ (1,622)	$ 638,669	$ (7,140)	$ (1,549)	$ 447,741	$ (4,321)	$ 163,800

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation Sun Communities, Inc., a Maryland corporation, and all wholly-owned or majority-owned and controlled subsidiaries, including Sun Communities Operating Limited Partnership (the “Operating Partnership”) and Sun Home Services, Inc. (“SHS”) are referred to herein as the “Company,” “us,” “we,” and “our.” We follow accounting standards set by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”). FASB establishes accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), which we follow to ensure that we consistently report our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. References to GAAP issued by the FASB in these footnotes are to the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”). These unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for interim financial information and in accordance with GAAP. We present interim disclosures and certain information and footnote disclosures as required by SEC rules and regulations. Accordingly, the unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. The accompanying unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements reflect, in the opinion of management, all adjustments, including adjustments of a normal and recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation of the interim financial statements. All intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period financial statements in order to conform to current period presentation. Estimates inherent in the current financial reporting process inevitably involve assumptions about future events. Since December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, referred to as the COVID-19 virus, has spread to countries in which we operate. COVID-19 has become a global pandemic. Commencing in March 2020, authorities in jurisdictions where our properties are located have issued restrictions on travel and the types of businesses that may continue to operate. Our property site count consists of 65 percent manufactured housing (“MH”) for residents and 35 percent recreational vehicle (“RV”) for guests. All of our RV resorts are now open, however government regulations may limit the amenities available at any given park. The extent and duration of the travel and business restrictions will have an effect on estimates used in the preparation of financial statements. This includes the net operating income (“NOI”) assumptions in our long-lived asset impairment testing, the ultimate collectability of rent payments from residents and guests due to the effects of COVID-19 on their financial position, and fair value measurement changes for financial assets that we have elected to measure at fair value. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the full year. These unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 as filed with the SEC on February 20, 2020 (our “2019 Annual Report”). These statements have been prepared on a basis that is substantially consistent with the accounting principles applied in our 2019 Annual Report.

Revenue

Revenue	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue	Revenue Disaggregation of Revenue The following tables details our revenue by major source (in thousands): Three Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Real Property Operations Home Sales and Rentals Consolidated Real Property Operations Home Sales and Rentals Consolidated Revenues Income from real property $ 284,373 $ — $ 284,373 $ 251,163 $ — $ 251,163 Revenue from home sales — 47,662 47,662 — 49,805 49,805 Rental home revenue — 16,171 16,171 — 14,444 14,444 Ancillary revenue 43,803 — 43,803 37,259 — 37,259 Interest income 2,624 — 2,624 4,770 — 4,770 Brokerage commissions and other revenues, net 5,881 — 5,881 5,002 — 5,002 Total Revenues $ 336,681 $ 63,833 $ 400,514 $ 298,194 $ 64,249 $ 362,443 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Real Property Operations Home Sales and Rentals Consolidated Real Property Operations Home Sales and Rentals Consolidated Revenues Income from real property $ 753,642 $ — $ 753,642 $ 689,890 $ — $ 689,890 Revenue from home sales — 126,779 126,779 — 136,665 136,665 Rental home revenue — 46,611 46,611 — 42,827 42,827 Ancillary revenue 66,373 — 66,373 67,157 — 67,157 Interest income 7,609 — 7,609 14,489 — 14,489 Brokerage commissions and other revenues, net 13,068 — 13,068 11,190 — 11,190 Total Revenues $ 840,692 $ 173,390 $ 1,014,082 $ 782,726 $ 179,492 $ 962,218 Revenue Recognition Policies and Performance Obligations On January 1, 2018, we adopted FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09 “ Revenue from Contracts with Customers ” and the other related ASUs and amendments to the codification (collectively “ASC 606”). The core principle of ASC 606 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. A five-step transactional analysis is required to determine how and when to recognize revenue. ASC 606 applies to all contracts with customers, except those that are within the scope of other topics in the FASB accounting standards codification. As a real estate owner and operator, the majority of our revenue is derived from site and home leases that are accounted for pursuant to ASC 842 “ Leases .” For transactions in the scope of ASC 606, we recognize revenue when control of goods or services transfers to the customer, in the amount that we expect to receive for the transfer of goods or provision of services. The adoption of ASC 606 did not result in any change to the timing and pattern of revenue recognition. Accordingly, retrospective application to prior periods or a cumulative catch-up adjustment was unnecessary. Income from real property - residents in our communities lease the site on which their home is located and either own or lease their home. Resident leases are generally for one-year or month-to-month terms and are renewable by mutual agreement between us and the resident, or in some cases, as provided by jurisdictional statute. Lease revenues for sites and homes fall under the scope of ASC 842 and are accounted for as operating leases with straight-line recognition. Income from real property includes income from site leases for annual MH residents, site leases for annual RV residents and site rentals to transient RV residents. Non-lease components of our site lease contracts, which are primarily provision of utility services, are accounted for with the site lease as a single lease under ASC 842. Additionally, we include collections of real estate taxes from residents within Income from real property. Revenue from home sales - our taxable REIT subsidiary, SHS, sells manufactured homes to current and prospective residents in our communities. We recognize revenue for home sales pursuant to ASC 606 “ Revenue From Contracts With Customers ” as manufactured homes are tangible personal property that can be located on any land parcel. Manufactured homes are not permanent fixtures or improvements to the underlying real estate and were therefore not considered to be subject to the guidance in ASC 360-20 “ Real Estate Sales ” by us. In accordance with the core principle of ASC 606, we recognize revenue from home sales at the time of closing when control of the home transfers to the customer. After closing of the sale transaction, we have no remaining performance obligation. As of September 30, 2020, and December 31, 2019, we had $20.8 million and $20.9 million, respectively, of receivables from contracts with customers, which consists of home sales proceeds, and are presented as a component of Notes and other receivables, net on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. These receivables represent balances owed to us for previously completed performance obligations for sales of manufactured homes. Rental home revenue - is comprised of rental agreements whereby we lease homes to residents in our communities. We account for these revenues under ASC 842. Ancillary revenue - is primarily composed of proceeds from restaurant, golf, merchandise and other activities at our RV communities and is included in the scope of ASC 606. Revenues are recognized at point of sale when control of the good or service transfers to the customer and our performance obligation is satisfied. In addition, leasing of short-term vacation home rentals is included within Ancillary revenue and falls within the scope of ASC 842. Sales and other taxes that we collect concurrent with revenue-producing activities are excluded from the transaction price. Interest income - is earned primarily on our notes receivable, which include installment notes receivables on manufactured homes purchased by us from loan originators and notes receivables from real estate developers. Interest income on these receivables is accrued based on the unpaid principal balances of the underlying loans on a level yield basis over the life of the loans. Interest income is not in the scope of ASC 606. Refer to Note 4, “Notes and Other Receivables,” for additional information. Broker commissions and other revenues, net - is primarily comprised of brokerage commissions for sales of manufactured homes, where we act as agent and arrange for a third party to transfer a manufactured home to a customer within one of our communities. Brokerage commission revenues are recognized on a net basis at closing, when the transaction is completed and our performance obligations have been fulfilled.

Real Estate Acquisitions

Real Estate Acquisitions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Real Estate Acquisitions	Real Estate Acquisitions and Dispositions 2020 Acquisitions During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we have acquired the following communities: Community Name Type Sites Development Sites State Month Acquired Cape Cod (1) RV 230 — MA January Jellystone Natural Bridge RV 299 — VA February Forest Springs (2) MH 372 — CA May Crown Villa RV 123 — OR June Flamingo Lake RV 421 — FL July Woodsmoke RV 300 — FL September Jellystone Lone Star RV 344 — TX September El Capitan & Ocean Mesa (3)(4) RV 266 109 CA September Highland Green Estates & Troy Villa (4) MH 1,162 — MI September Total 3,517 109 (1) In conjunction with the acquisition, we issued Series E preferred OP units. As of September 30, 2020, 90,000 Series E preferred OP units were outstanding. (2) In conjunction with the acquisition, we issued Series F preferred OP units and common OP units. As of September 30, 2020, 90,000 Series F preferred OP units and 82,420 common OP units, specific to this acquisition, were outstanding. (3) In conjunction with the acquisition, we issued Series G preferred OP units. As of September 30, 2020, 260,710 Series G preferred OP units were outstanding. (4) Contains two communities. The following table summarizes the amounts of assets acquired net of liabilities assumed at the acquisition date and the consideration paid for the acquisitions completed for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 (in thousands): At Acquisition Date Consideration Investment in property Inventory of manufactured homes In-place leases and other intangible assets Other assets / (liabilities), net Total identifiable assets acquired net of liabilities assumed Cash and escrow Temporary and permanent equity Total consideration Cape Cod $ 13,350 $ — $ 150 $ (295) $ 13,205 $ 4,205 $ 9,000 $ 13,205 Jellystone Natural Bridge 11,364 — 80 (391) 11,053 11,053 — 11,053 Forest Springs 51,949 1,337 2,160 (107) 55,339 36,260 19,079 55,339 Crown Villa 16,792 — — (230) 16,562 16,562 — 16,562 Flamingo Lake 34,000 — — (155) 33,845 33,845 — 33,845 Woodsmoke 26,000 — — (461) 25,539 25,539 — 25,539 Jellystone Lone Star 21,000 — — (703) 20,297 20,297 — 20,297 El Capitan & Ocean Mesa 59,500 — — (1,321) 58,179 32,108 26,071 58,179 Highland Green Estates & Troy Villa 63,134 1,501 — 47 64,682 64,682 — 64,682 Total $ 297,089 $ 2,838 $ 2,390 $ (3,616) $ 298,701 $ 244,551 $ 54,150 $ 298,701 As of September 30, 2020, we have incurred $4.5 million of additional capitalized transaction costs which have been allocated among the various categories above. The total amount of revenues and net income included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 related to the acquisitions completed in 2020 are set forth in the following table (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2020 Total revenues $ 5,714 $ 7,055 Net income $ 2,186 $ 2,400 The following unaudited pro forma financial information presents the results of our operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, as if the properties acquired in 2020 had been acquired on January 1, 2019. The unaudited pro forma results reflect certain adjustments for items that are not expected to have a continuing impact, such as adjustments for transaction costs incurred, management fees and purchase accounting. The information presented below has been prepared for comparative purposes only and does not purport to be indicative of either future results of operations or the results of operations that would have actually occurred had the acquisition been consummated on January 1, 2019 (in thousands, except per-share data): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Total revenues $ 422,130 $ 393,218 $ 1,035,698 $ 992,993 Net income attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. common stockholders $ 85,822 $ 65,087 $ 128,646 $ 139,803 Net income per share attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. common stockholders - basic $ 0.90 $ 0.74 $ 1.35 $ 1.60 Net income per share attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. common stockholders - diluted $ 0.89 $ 0.74 $ 1.34 $ 1.59 On September 29, 2020, we, along with our wholly-owned subsidiary, Sun SH LLC (“Merger Sub”), entered into a merger agreement (the “Merger Agreement”) with Safe Harbor Marinas, LLC (“Safe Harbor”) and certain other parties. The Merger Agreement contemplates that we will acquire Safe Harbor and its properties (the “Safe Harbor Properties”) through a merger of Merger Sub into Safe Harbor, with Safe Harbor being the surviving entity of the merger (the “Merger”). Subject to certain adjustments, including a net working capital adjustment, the aggregate consideration for the Merger is approximately $2.1 billion. The purchase price will be paid through a combination of the assumption of debt owed by Safe Harbor, the issuance of common and preferred OP units by the Operating Partnership, and cash. Third-party consents are required for us to acquire, through our indirect ownership of Safe Harbor, certain of the Safe Harbor Properties as a result of the Merger. With respect to four of these properties, which have an aggregate value of $112.6 million as mutually agreed by the parties in the Merger Agreement, if any of these consents are not received by the closing of the Merger, the affected properties (the “Delayed Consent Properties”) will be retained by an affiliate of the owners of Safe Harbor. The cash consideration we will pay at the closing of the Merger will be reduced by the agreed value of the Delayed Consent Properties. If and when a required third-party consent for a Delayed Consent Property is obtained in the two-year period following the closing of the Merger, we will acquire, through our indirect ownership of Safe Harbor, that Delayed Consent Property for cash consideration equal to its agreed value. If the required third-party consent for a Delayed Consent Property is not received by the end of such two-year period, we will not have the right to acquire the Delayed Consent Property. With respect to 11 of these Safe Harbor Properties, which have an aggregate value of $260.2 million as mutually agreed by the parties in the Merger Agreement, if any of such third-party consents are not received by the closing of the Merger, the affected properties (the “Delayed Closing Properties”), at our election, may be retained by an affiliate of the owners of Safe Harbor until not later than November 30, 2020. The cash consideration we will pay at the closing of the Merger will be reduced by the agreed value of the Delayed Closing Properties. Even if required third-party consents for the Delayed Closing Properties are not obtained before November 30, 2020, we are obligated on that date to acquire, through our indirect ownership of Safe Harbor, all of the Delayed Closing Properties for cash consideration equal to their agreed values. We anticipate that the closing of the Merger will occur no later than October 30, 2020. The consummation of the Merger is subject to customary closing conditions. If these conditions are not satisfied or waived, or if the merger agreement is otherwise terminated in accordance with its terms, then the acquisition will not be consummated. As a result, there can be no assurances as to the actual closing, or the timing of the closing of the Merger. Disposition On July 1, 2020, we sold a manufactured home community located in Montana, containing 226 sites, for $12.6 million. The gain from the sale of the property was approximately $5.6 million. 2019 Acquisitions For the year ended December 31, 2019 we acquired the following communities: Community Name Type Sites Development Sites State Month Acquired Slickrock Campground RV 193 — UT December Pandion Ridge RV 142 351 AL November Jensen Portfolio (1) MH 5,230 466 Various October Glen Ellis RV 244 40 NH September Leisure Point Resort (2) MH / RV 502 — DE September Reunion Lake RV 202 69 LA July River Plantation RV 309 — TN May Massey’s Landing RV RV 291 — DE February Shelby Properties (3) MH 1,308 — MI February Buena Vista MH 400 — AZ February Country Village Estates (4) MH 518 — OR January Hid’n Pines RV RV 321 — ME January Hacienda del Rio MH (Age-Restricted) 730 — FL January Total 10,390 926 (1) Contains 31 communities located in CT, GA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, NC and SC. In conjunction with the acquisition, we issued 1,972,876 shares of common stock, net of fractional shares paid in cash. (2) Contains 201 MH sites and 301 RV sites. (3) Contains two MH communities. (4) In conjunction with the acquisition, we issued Series D preferred OP units. As of December 31, 2019, 488,958 Series D preferred OP units were outstanding. The following table summarizes the amounts of assets acquired net of liabilities assumed at the acquisition date and the consideration paid for the acquisitions completed in 2019 (in thousands): At Acquisition Date Consideration Investment in property Inventory of manufactured homes In-place leases and other intangible assets Other assets / (liabilities), net Total identifiable assets acquired net of liabilities assumed Cash and escrow Debt assumed Temporary and permanent equity Total consideration Slickrock Campground $ 8,250 $ — $ — $ 8 $ 8,258 $ 8,258 $ — $ — $ 8,258 Pandion Ridge 19,070 — — (92) 18,978 18,978 — — 18,978 Jensen Portfolio 374,402 3,605 7,752 3,938 389,697 18,306 58,000 313,391 389,697 Glen Ellis 5,955 — — (79) 5,876 1,976 3,900 — 5,876 Leisure Point Resort 43,632 18 850 (678) 43,822 43,822 — — 43,822 Reunion Lake 23,493 — — (1,153) 22,340 22,340 — — 22,340 River Plantation 22,589 75 — — 22,664 22,664 — — 22,664 Massey's Landing 36,250 — 220 (446) 36,024 36,024 — — 36,024 Shelby Properties 85,969 2,011 6,520 (1,015) 93,485 93,485 — — 93,485 Buena Vista 20,221 439 1,590 (93) 22,157 22,157 — — 22,157 Country Village 62,784 — 2,020 31 64,835 12,905 — 51,930 64,835 Hid'n Pines 10,680 — 70 (233) 10,517 10,517 — — 10,517 Hacienda del Rio 111,971 15 3,280 (237) 115,029 115,029 — — 115,029 Total $ 825,266 $ 6,163 $ 22,302 $ (49) $ 853,682 $ 426,461 $ 61,900 $ 365,321 $ 853,682 Land for Expansion / Development During the year ended December 31, 2019, we acquired four land parcels which are located in New Braunfels, Texas; Petoskey, Michigan; Uhland, Texas and Hudson, Florida for total consideration of $7.7 million. Two of the land parcels are adjacent to existing communities. Ground Leases In August 2019, we acquired Chincoteague Island KOA RV Resort (“Chincoteague”), in Chincoteague Island, Virginia for total consideration of $19.5 million. The sellers of Chincoteague continue to operate the property. Refer to Note 16, “Leases,” for disclosures on accounting treatment. In April 2019, we acquired Strafford / Lake Winnipesaukee South KOA RV Resort ("Strafford") in Strafford, New Hampshire for total consideration of $2.7 million. The sellers of Strafford continue to operate the property. Refer to Note 16, “Leases,” for disclosures on accounting treatment. In March 2019, we entered into a four-year Temporary Occupancy and Use Permit with the Port of San Diego to operate a RV resort located in Chula Vista, CA until such time as we construct a new RV resort in the area. Concurrent with the transaction, we purchased tangible personal property from the prior owner of the RV resort for $0.3 million. Subsequently, in September 2019, we entered into a 66-year Temporary Occupancy and Use Permit, to construct and operate a new RV resort in Chula Vista. Refer to Note 16, “Leases,” for disclosures on accounting treatment.

Notes And Other Receivables

Notes And Other Receivables	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Long-term Notes and Loans, by Type, Current and Noncurrent [Abstract]
Notes And Other Receivables	Notes and Other Receivables The following table sets forth certain information regarding notes and other receivables (in thousands): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net $ 88,327 $ 95,580 Notes receivable from real estate developers 51,487 18,960 Other receivables, net 51,694 43,386 Total Notes and Other Receivables, net $ 191,508 $ 157,926 Installment Notes Receivable on Manufactured Homes Due to the adoption of ASU 2016-13, “ Financial Instruments - Credit Losses ” (Topic 326) Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, effective January 1, 2020, installment notes receivable are measured at fair value pursuant to us electing the fair value option. The balances of installment notes receivable of $88.3 million (net of fair value adjustment of $1.3 million) and $95.6 million (net of allowance of $0.6 million) as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, are collateralized by manufactured homes. The notes represent financing to purchasers of manufactured homes primarily located in our communities and require monthly principal and interest payments. The notes had a net weighted average interest rate (net of servicing costs) and maturity of 7.9 percent and 15.3 years as of September 30, 2020, and 8.0 percent and 15.8 years as of December 31, 2019, respectively. Refer to Note 14, “Fair Value of Financial Instruments,” and Note 17, “Recent Accounting Pronouncements,” for additional detail. The change in the aggregate balance of the installment notes receivable is as follows (in thousands): Nine Months Ended Year Ended September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Beginning balance of gross installment notes receivable $ 96,225 $ 113,495 Financed sale of manufactured homes 3,226 341 Principal payments and payoffs from our customers (6,452) (8,710) Principal reduction from repossessed homes (3,352) (8,901) Ending balance of gross installment notes receivable 89,647 96,225 Beginning balance of allowance for losses on installment notes receivables (645) (697) Adjustment to allowance for losses — 52 Initial fair value option adjustment (see Note 17) 645 — Ending balance of allowance for losses on installment notes receivables — (645) Initial fair value option adjustment (see Note 17) 991 — Fair value adjustment (2,311) — Fair value adjustments on gross installment notes receivable (1,320) — Ending balance of installment notes receivable, net $ 88,327 $ 95,580 Notes Receivable from Real Estate Developers As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the notes receivable balances of $51.5 million and $19.0 million, respectively are primarily comprised of construction loans provided to real estate developers. The carrying values of the notes generally approximate their fair market values either due to the nature of the loan and / or the note being secured by underlying collateral and / or personal guarantees. The notes receivable from real estate developers have a net weighted average interest rate and maturity of 5.8 percent and 1.4 years as of September 30, 2020, and 7.0 percent and 1.3 years as of December 31, 2019, respectively. As of September 30, 2020, real estate developers collectively have $10.5 million of undrawn funds on their loans. Refer to Note 14, “Fair Value of Financial Instruments,” and Note 17, “Recent Accounting Pronouncements,” for additional detail. Other Receivables, net As of September 30, 2020, other receivables were comprised of amounts due from: residents for rent, utility charges, fees and other pass through charges of $10.0 million (net of allowance of $6.3 million), home sale proceeds of $20.8 million, insurance receivables of $8.3 million, and other receivables of $12.6 million. As of December 31, 2019, other receivables were comprised of amounts due from: residents for rent, utility charges, fees and other pass through charges of $7.8 million (net of allowance of $2.2 million), home sale proceeds of $20.9 million, insurance and other receivables of $9.9 million and other receivables of $4.8 million. During June 2020, we executed a convertible secured promissory note with Rezplot, a nonconsolidated affiliate in which we have a 50 percent ownership interest. The note allows for a principal amount of up to $10.0 million to be drawn down over a period of three years, bears an interest rate of 3.0 percent and is secured by all the assets of Rezplot. The outstanding balance was $0.5 million as of September 30, 2020 and is recorded within the Notes and other receivables, net line item on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Refer to Note 6, "Investment in Nonconsolidated Affiliates," for additional information on our nonconsolidated affiliates.

Intangible Assets

Intangible Assets	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Intangible Assets Disclosure [Text Block]	Intangible Assets Our intangible assets include in-place leases, franchise agreements and other intangible assets. These intangible assets are recorded in Other assets, net on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. In accordance with FASB ASC Topic 842, below market leases are now classified as a right of use asset. The gross carrying amounts and accumulated amortization are as follows (in thousands): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Intangible Asset Useful Life Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization In-place leases 7 years $ 129,380 $ (85,307) $ 127,313 $ (74,548) Franchise agreements and other intangible assets 7 - 20 years 16,944 (3,374) 16,943 (2,760) Total $ 146,324 $ (88,681) $ 144,256 $ (77,308) Total amortization expense related to the intangible assets are as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Intangible Asset Amortization Expense September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 In-place leases $ 3,727 $ 3,781 $ 10,758 $ 11,253 Franchise fees and other intangible assets 205 205 614 614 Total $ 3,932 $ 3,986 $ 11,372 $ 11,867 We anticipate amortization expense for our intangible assets to be as follows for the next five years (in thousands): Year Remainder 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Estimated expense $ 3,927 $ 15,446 $ 10,871 $ 7,496 $ 5,133

Investment In Affiliates

Investment In Affiliates	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Investment In Affiliates	Investments in joint ventures that are not consolidated, nor recorded at cost, are accounted for using the equity method of accounting as prescribed in FASB ASC Topic 323, “Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures.” Investments in nonconsolidated affiliates are recorded within Other assets, net on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Equity income and loss are recorded in the Income from nonconsolidated affiliates line item on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. RezPlot Systems LLC (“Rezplot”) At September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, we had a 50 percent ownership interest in RezPlot, a RV reservation software technology company, acquired in January 2019. Sungenia joint venture (“Sungenia JV”) At September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, we had a 50 percent ownership interest in Sungenia JV, a joint venture formed between us and Ingenia Communities Group in November 2018, to establish and grow a manufactured housing community development program in Australia. GTSC LLC ( “GTSC” ) At September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, we had a 40 percent ownership interest in GTSC, which engages in acquiring, holding and selling loans secured, directly or indirectly, by manufactured homes located in our communities. Origen Financial Services, LLC (“OFS”) At September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, we had a 22.9 percent ownership interest in OFS, an end-to-end online resident screening and document management suite. SV Lift, LLC (“SV Lift”) At September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, we had a 50 percent ownership interest in SV Lift, which owns, operates and leases an aircraft. The investment balance in each nonconsolidated affiliate is as follows (in thousands): Investment September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Investment in RezPlot $ 3,784 $ 4,184 Investment in Sungenia JV 15,688 11,995 Investment in GTSC 23,364 18,488 Investment in OFS 282 148 Investment in SV Lift 3,663 2,961 Total $ 46,781 $ 37,776 The income / (loss) from each nonconsolidated affiliate is as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Income / (Loss) from Nonconsolidated Affiliates September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 RezPlot equity income / (loss) $ 5 $ (356) $ (1,150) $ (804) Sungenia JV equity income / (loss) 51 (127) 198 (185) GTSC equity income 1,263 914 2,723 2,177 OFS equity income 54 82 134 192 SV Lift equity loss, net (169) — (557) — Total Income from Nonconsolidated Affiliates $ 1,204 $ 513 $ 1,348 $ 1,380 The change in the GTSC investment balance is as follows (in thousands): Nine Months Ended Year Ended September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Beginning balance $ 18,488 $ 29,780 Adjustment of allowance for losses — 144 Initial fair value option adjustment (see Note 17) 317 — Cash contributions 14,555 33,143 Distributions (11,214) (47,382) Equity earnings 2,723 2,803 Fair value adjustment (1,505) — Ending Balance $ 23,364 $ 18,488

Consolidated Variable Interest

Consolidated Variable Interest Entities	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
DisclosureofVariableInterestEntities [Abstract]
Consolidated Variable Interest Entities	Consolidated Variable Interest Entities The Operating Partnership We consolidate the Operating Partnership under the guidance set forth in FASB ASC Topic 810 “Consolidation.” ASU 2015-02 modified the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are variable interest entities (“VIEs”) or, alternatively, voting interest entities. We evaluated the application of ASU 2015-02 and concluded that the Operating Partnership met the criteria of a VIE. Our significant asset is our investment in the Operating Partnership, and consequently, substantially all of our assets and liabilities represent those assets and liabilities of the Operating Partnership. We are the sole general partner and generally have the power to manage and have complete control over the Operating Partnership and the obligation to absorb its losses or the right to receive its benefits. Sun NG RV Resorts LLC (“Sun NG Resorts”); Rudgate Village SPE, LLC, Rudgate Clinton SPE, LLC, and Rudgate Clinton Estates SPE, LLC (collectively, “Rudgate”); Sun NG Whitewater RV Resorts LLC We consolidate Sun NG Resorts, Rudgate, and Sun NG Whitewater RV Resorts LLC, under the guidance set forth in FASB ASC Topic 810 “Consolidation.” We concluded that each of them is a VIE where we are the primary beneficiary, as we have the power to direct the significant activities of, and absorb the significant losses and receive the significant benefits from each entity. Refer to Note 8, “Debt and Lines of Credit,” for additional information on Sun NG Resorts and Note 9, “Equity and Temporary Equity,” for additional information on Sun NG Resorts and Sun NG Whitewater RV Resorts LLC. The following table summarizes the assets and liabilities of Sun NG Resorts, Rudgate, and Sun NG Whitewater RV Resorts LLC included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets after eliminations (in thousands): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Assets Investment property, net $ 385,296 $ 344,300 Other assets, net 24,651 23,894 Total Assets $ 409,947 $ 368,194 Liabilities and Other Equity Debt $ 46,197 $ 46,993 Preferred Equity - Sun NG Resorts - mandatorily redeemable 35,249 35,249 Other liabilities 21,380 13,631 Total Liabilities 102,826 95,873 Equity interest - NG Sun LLC & NG Sun Whitewater LLC 27,513 27,091 Noncontrolling interests 11,097 8,542 Total Liabilities and Other Equity $ 141,436 $ 131,506 Investment property, net and Other assets, net related to the consolidated VIEs, with the exception of the Operating Partnership, comprised approximately 4.9 percent and 4.7 percent of our consolidated total assets at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. Debt, Preferred Equity and Other liabilities comprised approximately 2.7 percent and 2.5 percent of our consolidated total liabilities at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. Equity Interests and Noncontrolling interests related to the consolidated VIEs, on an absolute basis, comprised less than 1.0 percent of our consolidated total equity at September 30, 2020 and at December 31, 2019, respectively.

Debt And Lines Of Credit

Debt And Lines Of Credit	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt Disclosure [Text Block]	Debt and Lines of Credit The following table sets forth certain information regarding debt including premiums, discounts and deferred financing costs (in thousands except statistical information): Carrying Amount Weighted Average Weighted Average September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Collateralized term loans - Life Companies $ 1,665,445 $ 1,710,408 16.6 17.1 3.989 % 4.012 % Collateralized term loans - FNMA 887,161 697,589 8.6 7.0 3.402 % 3.659 % Collateralized term loans - CMBS 268,601 397,868 3.1 3.1 4.789 % 5.103 % Collateralized term loans - FMCC 370,173 374,727 4.1 4.9 3.854 % 3.856 % Total collateralized term loans 3,191,380 3,180,592 Preferred equity - Sun NG Resorts - mandatorily redeemable 35,249 35,249 2.0 2.8 6.000 % 6.000 % Preferred OP units - mandatorily redeemable 34,663 34,663 5.4 4.0 5.932 % 6.500 % Lines of credit and other debt 79,321 183,898 2.8 3.5 1.321 % 2.710 % Total debt $ 3,340,613 $ 3,434,402 11.4 11.1 3.863 % 4.026 % Collateralized Term Loans During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and year ended December 31, 2019, we repaid the following collateralized term loans (in thousands except statistical information): Three Months Ended Repayment Amount Fixed Maturity (Gain) / Loss on Extinguishment of Debt June 30, 2020 $ 52,710 (1) 5.980 % (4) March 1, 2021 $ 1,930 March 31, 2020 $ 99,607 5.837 % March 1, 2021 $ 3,403 $ 19,922 (2) 5.830 % (4) July 1, 2020 $ (124) December 31, 2019 $ 17,048 5.620 % March 1, 2020 $ (84) $ 127,282 5.100 % November 1, 2021 $ 3,274 $ 21,527 (3) 6.240 % (4) March 1, 2020 $ (163) September 30, 2019 $ 134,021 4.300 % May 1, 2023 $ 12,755 March 31, 2019 $ 186,815 3.830 % January 1, 2030 $ 653 (1) Includes four collateralized term loans, two due to mature on March 1, 2021, one due to mature on July 11, 2021, and the other due to mature on December 1, 2021. (2) Includes four collateralized term loans due to mature on July 1, 2020. (3) Includes four collateralized term loans, three due to mature on March 1, 2020 and one due to mature on April 1, 2020. (4) The interest rate represents the weighted average interest rate on collateralized term loans. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and year ended December 31, 2019, we entered into the following collateralized term loans (in thousands except statistical information): Three Months Ended Loan Amount Term Interest Maturity March 31, 2020 $ 230,000 15 2.995 % April 1, 2035 December 31, 2019 $ 400,000 (1) 21 (1) 4.026 % December 15, 2039 September 30, 2019 $ 250,000 10 2.925 % October 1, 2029 March 31, 2019 $ 265,000 25 4.170 % January 15, 2044 (1) Includes two collateralized term loans one due to mature on December 15, 2039 and the other on December 1, 2041. The collateralized term loans totaling $3.2 billion as of September 30, 2020, are secured by 179 properties comprised of 71,644 sites representing approximately $3.1 billion of net book value. Preferred Equity - Sun NG Resorts - mandatorily redeemable In connection with the investment in Sun NG Resorts, $35.3 million of mandatorily redeemable Preferred Equity (“Preferred Equity - Sun NG Resorts”) was purchased by unrelated third parties. The Preferred Equity - Sun NG Resorts carries a preferred rate of return of 6.0 percent per annum. The Preferred Equity - Sun NG Resorts has a seven-year term and can be redeemed in the fourth quarter of 2022 at the holders’ option. The Preferred Equity - Sun NG Resorts as of September 30, 2020 was $35.2 million. Refer to Note 7, “Consolidated Variable Interest Entities,” and Note 9, “Equity and Temporary Equity,” for additional information. Preferred OP Units - mandatorily redeemable Preferred OP units at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 include $34.7 million of Aspen preferred OP units issued by the Operating Partnership. As of September 30, 2020, these units are convertible indirectly into 408,152 shares of our common stock. In January 2020, we amended the Operating Partnership’s partnership agreement at the election of certain Aspen preferred OP unit holders. The amendment extended the automatic redemption date and reduced the annual distribution rate for 270,000 of the Aspen preferred OP units (the “Extended Units”). Subject to certain limitations, at any time prior to January 1, 2024 (or prior to January 1, 2034 with respect to the Extended Units), the holder of each Aspen preferred OP unit at its option may convert such Aspen preferred OP unit into: (a) if the average closing price of our common stock for the preceding ten trading days is $68.00 per share or less, 0.397 common OP units; or (b) if the ten-day average closing price is greater than $68.00 per share, the number of common OP units is determined by dividing (i) the sum of (A) $27.00 plus (B) 25 percent of the amount by which the ten-day average closing price exceeds $68.00 per share, by (ii) the ten-day average closing price. The current preferred distribution rate is 3.8 percent on the Extended Units and 6.5 percent on all other Aspen preferred OP units. On January 2, 2024 (or January 2, 2034 with respect to the Extended Units), we are required to redeem for cash all Aspen preferred OP units that have not been converted to common OP units. As of September 30, 2020, 270,000 of the Extended Units and 1,013,819 other Aspen preferred units were outstanding. Lines of Credit and Other Debt Credit Agreement - In May 2019, we amended and restated our credit agreement with Citibank, N.A. (“Citibank”) and certain other lenders. Pursuant to the credit agreement, we entered into a senior credit facility with Citibank and certain lenders in the amount of $750.0 million, comprised of a $650.0 million revolving loan, with the ability to use up to $100.0 million for advances in Australian dollars, and a $100.0 million term loan (the “A&R Facility”). The A&R Credit Agreement has a four-year term ending May 21, 2023, which can be extended for two additional six-month periods, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions as defined in the credit agreement. The credit agreement also provides for additional commitments in an amount not to exceed $350.0 million. The funding of these additional commitments is subject to certain conditions, including obtaining the consent of the lenders, some of which are outside of our control. If additional borrowings are made pursuant to any such additional commitments, the aggregate borrowing limit under the A&R Facility may be increased up to $1.1 billion. The A&R Facility bears interest at a floating rate based on the Eurodollar rate or Bank Bill Swap Bid Rate plus a margin that is determined based on our leverage ratio calculated in accordance with the credit agreement, which margin can range from 1.20 percent to 2.10 percent for the revolving loan and 1.20 percent to 2.05 percent for the term loan. As of September 30, 2020, the margin based on our leverage ratio was 1.2 percent on the revolving loan and 1.2 percent on the term loan. We had $28.1 million and no borrowings on the revolving loan and the term loan, respectively, as of September 30, 2020. We had $123.6 million of borrowings on the revolving loan and no borrowings on the term loan, as of December 31, 2019. The A&R Facility provides us with the ability to issue letters of credit. Our issuance of letters of credit does not increase our borrowings outstanding under our line of credit but does reduce the borrowing amount available. At September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, we had approximately $2.9 million and $2.8 million of outstanding letters of credit, respectively. Floor Plan - We have a $12.0 million manufactured home floor plan facility renewable indefinitely until our lender provides us at least a 12-month notice of their intent to terminate the agreement. The interest rate is 100 basis points over the greater of the prime rate as quoted in the Wall Street Journal on the first business day of each month or 5.0 percent. At September 30, 2020, the effective interest rate was 6.0 percent. The outstanding balance was $3.6 million as of September 30, 2020 and $3.3 million as of December 31, 2019. These balances are recorded within the Lines of credit and other debt line item on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Other - In October 2019, we assumed a term loan facility with Citibank, in the amount of $58.0 million in relation to an acquisition. The term loan has a four-year term ending October 29, 2023, and bears interest at a floating rate based on the Eurodollar rate or Prime rate. The outstanding balance was $47.5 million at September 30, 2020 and $57.0 million at December 31, 2019, respectively. These balances are recorded within the Lines of credit and other debt line item on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Covenants The Collateralized term loans and Lines of credit are subject to various financial and other covenants. The most restrictive is pursuant to the terms of the A&R Facility, and contains minimum fixed charge coverage ratio and net worth requirements, and maximum leverage, distribution ratios and variable rate indebtedness. At September 30, 2020, we were in compliance with all covenants. In addition, certain of our subsidiary borrowers own properties that secure loans. These subsidiaries are consolidated within our accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements, however, each of these subsidiaries’ assets and credit are not available to satisfy our debts and other obligations, any of our other subsidiaries or any other person or entity. Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements - Nonconsolidated Affiliate Indebtedness GTSC - During September 2019, GTSC, a nonconsolidated affiliate in which we have a 40 percent ownership interest, entered into a warehouse line of credit with a maximum loan amount of $125.0 million. During September 2020, the maximum amount was increased to $180.0 million. As of September 30, 2020, the aggregate carrying amount of debt, including both our and our partners’ share, incurred by GTSC was approximately $154.7 million (of which our proportionate share is approximately $61.9 million). The debt bears interest at a variable rate based on LIBOR plus 1.65 percent per annum and matures on September 15, 2023. As of December 31, 2019, the aggregate carrying amount of debt, including both our and our partner’s share, incurred by GTSC was approximately $123.4 million (of which our proportionate share is approximately $49.4 million).

Share-Based Compensation

Share-Based Compensation	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Noncash Expense [Abstract]
Share-Based Compensation	Share-Based Compensation As of September 30, 2020, we had two share-based compensation plans: the Sun Communities, Inc. 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (“2015 Equity Incentive Plan”) and the First Amended and Restated 2004 Non-Employee Director Option Plan (“2004 Non-Employee Director Option Plan”). We believe granting equity awards will provide certain executives, key employees and directors additional incentives to promote our financial success and promote employee and director retention by providing an opportunity to acquire or increase the direct proprietary interest of those individuals in our operations and future. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, shares were granted as follows: Grant Period Type Plan Shares Granted Grant Date Fair Value Per Share Vesting Type Vesting Anniversary Percentage 2020 Key Employees 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 1,500 $ 143.20 (1) Time Based 20.0% annually over 5 years 2020 Key Employees 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 51,790 $ 162.42 (1) Time Based 20.0% annually over 5 years 2020 Executive Officers 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 46,000 $ 165.97 (1) Time Based 20.0% annually over 5 years 2020 Executive Officers 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 69,000 (2) $ 125.47 (2) Market Condition 3rd 100.0 % 2020 Directors 2004 Non-Employee Director Option Plan 10,200 $ 147.97 (1) Time Based 3rd 100.0 % 2019 Executive Officers 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 44,000 $ 115.39 (1) Time Based 20.0% annually over 5 years 2019 Executive Officers 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 66,000 (3) $ 115.39 (3) Market Condition 3rd 100.0 % 2019 Directors 2004 Non-Employee Director Option Plan 18,000 $ 113.68 (1) Time Based 3rd 100.0 % 2019 Key Employees 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 55,770 $ 120.01 (1) Time Based 20.0% annually over 5 years 2019 Key Employees 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 6,000 $ 142.03 (1) Time Based 20.0% annually over 5 years (1) The fair values of the grants were determined by using the average closing price of our common stock on the dates the shares were issued. (2) Share-based compensation for restricted stock awards with market conditions is measured based on an estimate of shares expected to vest. We estimate the fair value of share-based compensation for restricted stock with market conditions using a Monte Carlo simulation. At the grant date our common stock price was $165.97. Based on the Monte Carlo simulation we expect 75.6 percent of the 69,000 shares to vest. (3) Share-based compensation for restricted stock awards with market conditions is measured based on an estimate of shares expected to vest. We estimate the fair value of share-based compensation for restricted stock with market conditions using a Monte Carlo simulation. At the grant date our common stock price was $115.39. Based on the Monte Carlo simulation we expect 75.1 percent of the 66,000 shares to vest. Vesting The vesting requirements for 256,380 and 223,781 restricted shares granted to our executives, directors and employees were satisfied during the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share	Earnings Per Share Earnings per share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period on a basic and diluted basis. We calculate diluted earnings per share using the more dilutive of the treasury stock method and the two-class method. Our potentially dilutive securities include potential common shares related to our forward sale agreement, our outstanding stock options, our unvested restricted common shares, and our Operating Partnership outstanding common OP units, Series A-1 preferred OP units, Series A-3 preferred OP units, Series C preferred OP units, Series D preferred OP units, Series E preferred OP units, Series F preferred OP units, Series G preferred OP units, and Aspen preferred OP Units, which, if converted or exercised, may impact dilution. Diluted earnings per share considers the impact of potentially dilutive securities except when the potential common shares have an antidilutive effect. Our unvested restricted stock common shares contain rights to receive non-forfeitable dividends and participate equally with common stock with respect to dividends issued or declared, and thus, are participating securities, requiring the two-class method of computing earnings per share. The two-class method determines earnings per share by dividing the sum of distributed earnings to common stockholders and undistributed earnings allocated to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. In calculating the two-class method, undistributed earnings are allocated to both common shares and participating securities based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period. The remaining potential dilutive common shares do not contain rights to dividends and are included in the computation of diluted earnings per share. Computations of basic and diluted earnings per share were as follows (in thousands, except per share data): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Numerator Net Income Attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. Common Stockholders $ 81,204 $ 57,002 $ 124,028 $ 131,718 Less: allocation to restricted stock awards 536 437 821 1,020 Basic earnings - Net income attributable to common stockholders after allocation to restricted stock awards $ 80,668 $ 56,565 $ 123,207 $ 130,698 Add allocation to restricted stock awards — 437 — — Diluted earnings - Net income attributable to common stockholders after allocation to restricted stock awards (1) $ 80,668 $ 57,002 $ 123,207 $ 130,698 Denominator Weighted average common shares outstanding 97,542 89,847 95,270 87,499 Add: dilutive common share from forward sale 6 — 2 — Add: dilutive stock options 1 1 1 1 Add: dilutive restricted stock — 484 — — Diluted weighted average common shares and securities (1) 97,549 90,332 95,273 87,500 Earnings Per Share Available to Common Stockholders After Allocation Basic earnings per share $ 0.83 $ 0.63 $ 1.29 $ 1.49 Diluted earnings per share (1) $ 0.83 $ 0.63 $ 1.29 $ 1.49 (1) For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, and the nine months ended September 30, 2019 diluted earnings per share was calculated using the two-class method as the application of this method resulted in a more dilutive earnings per share for those periods. Diluted earnings per share for the three months ended September 30, 2019 was calculated using the treasury stock method as the application of this method resulted in a more dilutive earnings per share for that period. We have excluded certain convertible securities from the computation of diluted earnings per share because the inclusion of those securities would have been anti-dilutive for the periods presented. The following table presents the outstanding securities that were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share as of September 30, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands): As of September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Common OP units 2,473 2,282 A-1 preferred OP units 299 316 A-3 preferred OP units 40 40 A-4 preferred OP units — 406 Aspen preferred OP units 1,284 1,284 Series A-4 preferred stock — 1,052 Series C preferred OP units 309 310 Series D preferred OP units 489 489 Series E preferred OP units 90 — Series F preferred OP units 90 — Series G preferred OP units 261 — Total Securities 5,335 6,179

Fair Value of Financial Instrum

Fair Value of Financial Instruments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Of Financial Instruments	Our financial instruments consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, marketable securities, notes and other receivables, accounts payable, and debt. ASC Topic 820 “ Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, ” requires disclosure regarding determination of fair value for assets and liabilities and establishes a hierarchy under which these assets and liabilities must be grouped, based on significant levels of observable or unobservable inputs. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect our market assumption. This hierarchy requires the use of observable market data when available. These two types of inputs have created the following fair value hierarchy: Level 1 - Quoted unadjusted prices for identical instruments in active markets; Level 2 - Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets; and Level 3 - Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. We utilize fair value measurements to record fair value adjustments to certain assets and liabilities and to determine fair value disclosures. The following methods and assumptions were used in order to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments for which it is practicable to estimate that value: Marketable Securities Marketable securities held by us and accounted for under the ASC 321 “ Investment Equity Securities ” are measured at fair value. Any change in fair value is recognized in the Consolidated Statement of Operations in Remeasurement of marketable securities in accordance with ASU 2016-01 “ Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and measurement of financial assets and financial liabilities .” The fair value is measured by the quoted unadjusted share price which is readily available in active markets (Level 1). The change in the marketable securities balance is as follows (in thousands): Nine Months Ended Year Ended September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Beginning Balance $ 94,727 $ 49,037 Additional purchase 11,757 8,995 Change in fair value measurement (2,636) 34,240 Foreign currency translation adjustment 1,264 816 Dividend reinvestment, net of tax 1,971 1,639 Ending Balance $ 107,083 $ 94,727 Installment Notes Receivable on Manufactured Homes Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes are recorded at fair value and are measured using model-derived indicative pricing using observable inputs, inclusive of default rates, interest rates and recovery rates (Level 2). Refer to Note 4, “Notes and Other Receivables,” and Note 17, “Recent Accounting Pronouncements,” for additional detail. Notes Receivable from Real Estate Developers Notes receivable from real estate developers are recorded at fair value and are measured using prevailing market interest rates (Level 2). The carrying values of the notes generally approximate their fair market values either due to the nature of the note and / or the note being secured by underlying collateral and / or personal guarantees. Refer to Note 4, “Notes and Other Receivables,” and Note 17, “Recent Accounting Pronouncements,” for additional detail. Long-Term Debt and Lines of Credit The fair value of long-term debt is based on the estimates of management and on rates currently quoted, rates currently prevailing for comparable loans, and instruments of comparable maturities (Level 2). Refer to Note 8, “Debt and Lines of Credit,” for additional information. Financial Liabilities We estimate the fair value of our contingent consideration liability based on discounting of future cash flows using market interest rates and adjusting for non-performance risk over the remaining term of the liability (Level 2). Other Financial Instruments The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, other receivables, and accounts payable approximate their fair market values due to the short-term nature of those instruments. The table below sets forth our financial assets and liabilities (in thousands) that required disclosure of fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2020. The table presents the carrying values and fair values of our financial instruments as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, that were measured using the valuation techniques described above. The table excludes other financial instruments such as cash and cash equivalents, other receivables, and accounts payable as the carrying values associated with these instruments approximate their fair value since their maturities are less than one year. Nine Months Ended Year Ended September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Financial Assets Carrying Value Fair Carrying Value Fair Marketable securities $ 107,083 $ 107,083 $ 94,727 $ 94,727 Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net 88,327 88,327 95,580 95,580 Notes receivable from real estate developers 51,487 51,487 18,960 18,960 Total $ 246,897 $ 246,897 $ 209,267 $ 209,267 Financial Liabilities Debt $ 3,261,292 $ 3,306,279 $ 3,250,504 $ 3,270,544 Lines of credit and other debt 79,321 79,321 183,898 183,898 Other liabilities (contingent consideration) 6,828 6,828 6,134 6,134 Total $ 3,347,441 $ 3,392,428 $ 3,440,536 $ 3,460,576

Commitments And Contingencies

Commitments And Contingencies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments And Contingencies	Commitments and Contingencies Legal Proceedings We are involved in various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. All such proceedings, taken together, are not expected to have a material adverse impact on our results of operations or financial condition.

Leases

Leases	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
Leases	Leases Lessee Accounting Future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable leases as of the nine months ended September 30, 2020 where we are the lessee include: Maturity of Lease Liabilities (in thousands) Operating Leases Finance Leases Total 2020 (Excluding nine months ended September 30, 2020) $ 821 $ 97 $ 918 2021 2,842 120 2,962 2022 2,863 120 2,983 2023 2,993 120 3,113 2024 3,300 4,060 7,360 Thereafter 32,774 — 32,774 Total Lease Payments $ 45,593 $ 4,517 $ 50,110 Less: Imputed interest (20,218) (382) (20,600) Present Value of Lease Liabilities $ 25,375 $ 4,135 $ 29,510 Right-of-use (ROU) assets and lease liabilities for finance and operating leases as included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets are as follows (in thousands): Description Financial Statement Classification September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Lease Assets ROU asset obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities Other asset, net $ 4,135 $ 4,081 ROU asset obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities Other asset, net $ 24,365 $ 23,751 ROU asset obtained relative to below market operating lease Other asset, net $ 27,802 $ 28,366 Lease Liabilities Finance lease liabilities Other liabilities $ 4,135 $ 4,081 Operating lease liabilities Other liabilities $ 25,375 $ 24,222 Lease expense for finance and operating leases as included in our Consolidated Statements of Operations are as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Description Financial Statement Classification September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Finance lease expense Amortization of ROU assets Interest expense $ (18) $ (18) $ (54) $ (55) Interest on lease liabilities Interest expense 26 26 77 77 Operating lease cost General and administrative expense, Property operating and maintenance 973 794 2,925 2,598 Variable lease cost Property operating and maintenance 431 468 1,220 1,214 Total Lease Expense $ 1,412 $ 1,270 $ 4,168 $ 3,834 Lease term, discount rates and additional information for finance and operating leases are as follows: Lease Term and Discount Rate September 30, 2020 Weighted-average remaining lease terms (years) Finance lease 3.75 Operating lease 25.97 Weighted-average discount rate Finance lease 2.50 % Operating lease 4.12 % Other Information (in thousands) Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities Operating Cash Flow from Operating leases $ 1,836 $ 1,504 Financing Cash Flow from Finance leases 23 23 Total Cash Paid on Lease Liabilities $ 1,859 $ 1,527 Related Party Leases: Lease of Executive Offices. Gary A. Shiffman, together with certain of his family members, indirectly owns an equity interest of approximately 28.1 percent in American Center LLC, the entity from which we lease office space for our principal executive offices. Each of Brian M. Hermelin, Ronald A. Klein and Arthur A. Weiss indirectly owns a less than one percent interest in American Center LLC. Mr. Shiffman is our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Each of Mr. Hermelin, Mr. Klein and Mr. Weiss is a director of the Company. Under this agreement, we lease approximately 103,100 rentable square feet of permanent space. The initial term of the lease is until October 31, 2026, and the current average gross base rent is $18.95 per square foot until October 31, 2020 with graduated rental increases thereafter. We entered into an additional office space operating lease which commenced in January 2020. Under this agreement, we lease approximately 20,087 rentable square feet of permanent space. The initial term of the lease is until October 31, 2026 and the average gross base rent is $18.95 per square foot until October 31, 2020 with graduated rent increases thereafter. Each of Mr. Shiffman, Mr. Hermelin, Mr. Klein and Mr. Weiss may have a conflict of interest with respect to his obligations as our officer and / or director and his ownership interest in American Center LLC. Lessor Accounting We are not the lessor for any finance leases as of September 30, 2020. Over 95 percent of our operating leases where we are the lessor are either month to month or for a time period not to exceed one year. As of the reporting date, future minimum lease payments would not exceed 12 months. Similarly, over 95 percent of our investment property, net on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, and related depreciation amounts relate to assets whereby we are the lessor under an operating lease.
Leases	Lessee Accounting Future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable leases as of the nine months ended September 30, 2020 where we are the lessee include: Maturity of Lease Liabilities (in thousands) Operating Leases Finance Leases Total 2020 (Excluding nine months ended September 30, 2020) $ 821 $ 97 $ 918 2021 2,842 120 2,962 2022 2,863 120 2,983 2023 2,993 120 3,113 2024 3,300 4,060 7,360 Thereafter 32,774 — 32,774 Total Lease Payments $ 45,593 $ 4,517 $ 50,110 Less: Imputed interest (20,218) (382) (20,600) Present Value of Lease Liabilities $ 25,375 $ 4,135 $ 29,510 Right-of-use (ROU) assets and lease liabilities for finance and operating leases as included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets are as follows (in thousands): Description Financial Statement Classification September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Lease Assets ROU asset obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities Other asset, net $ 4,135 $ 4,081 ROU asset obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities Other asset, net $ 24,365 $ 23,751 ROU asset obtained relative to below market operating lease Other asset, net $ 27,802 $ 28,366 Lease Liabilities Finance lease liabilities Other liabilities $ 4,135 $ 4,081 Operating lease liabilities Other liabilities $ 25,375 $ 24,222 Lease expense for finance and operating leases as included in our Consolidated Statements of Operations are as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Description Financial Statement Classification September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Finance lease expense Amortization of ROU assets Interest expense $ (18) $ (18) $ (54) $ (55) Interest on lease liabilities Interest expense 26 26 77 77 Operating lease cost General and administrative expense, Property operating and maintenance 973 794 2,925 2,598 Variable lease cost Property operating and maintenance 431 468 1,220 1,214 Total Lease Expense $ 1,412 $ 1,270 $ 4,168 $ 3,834 Lease term, discount rates and additional information for finance and operating leases are as follows: Lease Term and Discount Rate September 30, 2020 Weighted-average remaining lease terms (years) Finance lease 3.75 Operating lease 25.97 Weighted-average discount rate Finance lease 2.50 % Operating lease 4.12 % Other Information (in thousands) Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities Operating Cash Flow from Operating leases $ 1,836 $ 1,504 Financing Cash Flow from Finance leases 23 23 Total Cash Paid on Lease Liabilities $ 1,859 $ 1,527 Related Party Leases: Lease of Executive Offices. Gary A. Shiffman, together with certain of his family members, indirectly owns an equity interest of approximately 28.1 percent in American Center LLC, the entity from which we lease office space for our principal executive offices. Each of Brian M. Hermelin, Ronald A. Klein and Arthur A. Weiss indirectly owns a less than one percent interest in American Center LLC. Mr. Shiffman is our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Each of Mr. Hermelin, Mr. Klein and Mr. Weiss is a director of the Company. Under this agreement, we lease approximately 103,100 rentable square feet of permanent space. The initial term of the lease is until October 31, 2026, and the current average gross base rent is $18.95 per square foot until October 31, 2020 with graduated rental increases thereafter. We entered into an additional office space operating lease which commenced in January 2020. Under this agreement, we lease approximately 20,087 rentable square feet of permanent space. The initial term of the lease is until October 31, 2026 and the average gross base rent is $18.95 per square foot until October 31, 2020 with graduated rent increases thereafter. Each of Mr. Shiffman, Mr. Hermelin, Mr. Klein and Mr. Weiss may have a conflict of interest with respect to his obligations as our officer and / or director and his ownership interest in American Center LLC. Lessor Accounting We are not the lessor for any finance leases as of September 30, 2020. Over 95 percent of our operating leases where we are the lessor are either month to month or for a time period not to exceed one year. As of the reporting date, future minimum lease payments would not exceed 12 months. Similarly, over 95 percent of our investment property, net on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, and related depreciation amounts relate to assets whereby we are the lessor under an operating lease.
Leases	Lessee Accounting Future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable leases as of the nine months ended September 30, 2020 where we are the lessee include: Maturity of Lease Liabilities (in thousands) Operating Leases Finance Leases Total 2020 (Excluding nine months ended September 30, 2020) $ 821 $ 97 $ 918 2021 2,842 120 2,962 2022 2,863 120 2,983 2023 2,993 120 3,113 2024 3,300 4,060 7,360 Thereafter 32,774 — 32,774 Total Lease Payments $ 45,593 $ 4,517 $ 50,110 Less: Imputed interest (20,218) (382) (20,600) Present Value of Lease Liabilities $ 25,375 $ 4,135 $ 29,510 Right-of-use (ROU) assets and lease liabilities for finance and operating leases as included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets are as follows (in thousands): Description Financial Statement Classification September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Lease Assets ROU asset obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities Other asset, net $ 4,135 $ 4,081 ROU asset obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities Other asset, net $ 24,365 $ 23,751 ROU asset obtained relative to below market operating lease Other asset, net $ 27,802 $ 28,366 Lease Liabilities Finance lease liabilities Other liabilities $ 4,135 $ 4,081 Operating lease liabilities Other liabilities $ 25,375 $ 24,222 Lease expense for finance and operating leases as included in our Consolidated Statements of Operations are as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Description Financial Statement Classification September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Finance lease expense Amortization of ROU assets Interest expense $ (18) $ (18) $ (54) $ (55) Interest on lease liabilities Interest expense 26 26 77 77 Operating lease cost General and administrative expense, Property operating and maintenance 973 794 2,925 2,598 Variable lease cost Property operating and maintenance 431 468 1,220 1,214 Total Lease Expense $ 1,412 $ 1,270 $ 4,168 $ 3,834 Lease term, discount rates and additional information for finance and operating leases are as follows: Lease Term and Discount Rate September 30, 2020 Weighted-average remaining lease terms (years) Finance lease 3.75 Operating lease 25.97 Weighted-average discount rate Finance lease 2.50 % Operating lease 4.12 % Other Information (in thousands) Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities Operating Cash Flow from Operating leases $ 1,836 $ 1,504 Financing Cash Flow from Finance leases 23 23 Total Cash Paid on Lease Liabilities $ 1,859 $ 1,527 Related Party Leases: Lease of Executive Offices. Gary A. Shiffman, together with certain of his family members, indirectly owns an equity interest of approximately 28.1 percent in American Center LLC, the entity from which we lease office space for our principal executive offices. Each of Brian M. Hermelin, Ronald A. Klein and Arthur A. Weiss indirectly owns a less than one percent interest in American Center LLC. Mr. Shiffman is our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Each of Mr. Hermelin, Mr. Klein and Mr. Weiss is a director of the Company. Under this agreement, we lease approximately 103,100 rentable square feet of permanent space. The initial term of the lease is until October 31, 2026, and the current average gross base rent is $18.95 per square foot until October 31, 2020 with graduated rental increases thereafter. We entered into an additional office space operating lease which commenced in January 2020. Under this agreement, we lease approximately 20,087 rentable square feet of permanent space. The initial term of the lease is until October 31, 2026 and the average gross base rent is $18.95 per square foot until October 31, 2020 with graduated rent increases thereafter. Each of Mr. Shiffman, Mr. Hermelin, Mr. Klein and Mr. Weiss may have a conflict of interest with respect to his obligations as our officer and / or director and his ownership interest in American Center LLC. Lessor Accounting We are not the lessor for any finance leases as of September 30, 2020. Over 95 percent of our operating leases where we are the lessor are either month to month or for a time period not to exceed one year. As of the reporting date, future minimum lease payments would not exceed 12 months. Similarly, over 95 percent of our investment property, net on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, and related depreciation amounts relate to assets whereby we are the lessor under an operating lease.

Recent Accounting Pronouncement

Recent Accounting Pronouncements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements - Adopted In April 2020, the FASB issued a Staff Question-and-Answer (Q&A) to clarify whether lease concessions related to the effects of COVID-19 require the application of lease modification guidance under ASC Topic 842 “ Leases ”. The Q&A allows companies not to apply the lease modification guidance to rent concessions that result in deferred rent where the total cash flows required by the modified lease agreement are materially the same as the cash flows required under the original lease and the change to the lease did not result in a substantial increase to the rights of the lessor or the obligations of the lessee. We adopted the guidance during the three months ended June 30, 2020 for eligible residential lease concessions. The lease concessions that meet the criteria of the Q&A are treated as if they were part of the enforceable rights and obligations of the parties under the existing lease contract. The amount of rent concessions subject to the Q&A were not material and this adoption did not have a material impact on our consolidated results of operations or financial position. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (“CECL”). This update replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology in current GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. As of January 1, 2020, we adopted the fair value option for our installment notes receivable on manufactured homes and the notes receivable within the GTSC JV which resulted in fair value adjustments of $1.6 million and $0.3 million, respectively. We also adopted the fair value option on notes receivable from real estate developers. The carrying values of those notes generally approximate their fair market values either due to the short-term nature of the loan and / or the note being secured by underlying collateral and / or personal guarantees. The adoption of CECL had an immaterial impact on our remaining financial instruments within the CECL scope. Refer to Note 4, “Notes and Other Receivables,”, and Note 6. “Investment in Nonconsolidated Affiliates,” for additional detail.

Subsequent Events

Subsequent Events	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	Subsequent Events Subsequent to the quarter ended September 30, 2020, we entered into a new $260.0 million term loan secured by 11 properties. The loan term is 12-years and the interest rate is fixed at 2.64 percent. The loan will mature in 2032. We have evaluated our Consolidated Financial Statements for subsequent events through the date that this Form 10-Q was issued.

Revenue (Tables)

Revenue (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Disaggregation of Revenue	The following tables details our revenue by major source (in thousands): Three Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Real Property Operations Home Sales and Rentals Consolidated Real Property Operations Home Sales and Rentals Consolidated Revenues Income from real property $ 284,373 $ — $ 284,373 $ 251,163 $ — $ 251,163 Revenue from home sales — 47,662 47,662 — 49,805 49,805 Rental home revenue — 16,171 16,171 — 14,444 14,444 Ancillary revenue 43,803 — 43,803 37,259 — 37,259 Interest income 2,624 — 2,624 4,770 — 4,770 Brokerage commissions and other revenues, net 5,881 — 5,881 5,002 — 5,002 Total Revenues $ 336,681 $ 63,833 $ 400,514 $ 298,194 $ 64,249 $ 362,443 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Real Property Operations Home Sales and Rentals Consolidated Real Property Operations Home Sales and Rentals Consolidated Revenues Income from real property $ 753,642 $ — $ 753,642 $ 689,890 $ — $ 689,890 Revenue from home sales — 126,779 126,779 — 136,665 136,665 Rental home revenue — 46,611 46,611 — 42,827 42,827 Ancillary revenue 66,373 — 66,373 67,157 — 67,157 Interest income 7,609 — 7,609 14,489 — 14,489 Brokerage commissions and other revenues, net 13,068 — 13,068 11,190 — 11,190 Total Revenues $ 840,692 $ 173,390 $ 1,014,082 $ 782,726 $ 179,492 $ 962,218

Real Estate Acquisitions (Table

Real Estate Acquisitions (Tables)	6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Schedule of Business Acquisitions, by Acquisition		we have acquired the following communities: Community Name Type Sites Development Sites State Month Acquired Cape Cod (1) RV 230 — MA January Jellystone Natural Bridge RV 299 — VA February Forest Springs (2) MH 372 — CA May Crown Villa RV 123 — OR June Flamingo Lake RV 421 — FL July Woodsmoke RV 300 — FL September Jellystone Lone Star RV 344 — TX September El Capitan & Ocean Mesa (3)(4) RV 266 109 CA September Highland Green Estates & Troy Villa (4) MH 1,162 — MI September Total 3,517 109 (1) In conjunction with the acquisition, we issued Series E preferred OP units. As of September 30, 2020, 90,000 Series E preferred OP units were outstanding. (2) In conjunction with the acquisition, we issued Series F preferred OP units and common OP units. As of September 30, 2020, 90,000 Series F preferred OP units and 82,420 common OP units, specific to this acquisition, were outstanding. (3) In conjunction with the acquisition, we issued Series G preferred OP units. As of September 30, 2020, 260,710 Series G preferred OP units were outstanding. (4) Contains two communities. For the year ended December 31, 2019 we acquired the following communities: Community Name Type Sites Development Sites State Month Acquired Slickrock Campground RV 193 — UT December Pandion Ridge RV 142 351 AL November Jensen Portfolio (1) MH 5,230 466 Various October Glen Ellis RV 244 40 NH September Leisure Point Resort (2) MH / RV 502 — DE September Reunion Lake RV 202 69 LA July River Plantation RV 309 — TN May Massey’s Landing RV RV 291 — DE February Shelby Properties (3) MH 1,308 — MI February Buena Vista MH 400 — AZ February Country Village Estates (4) MH 518 — OR January Hid’n Pines RV RV 321 — ME January Hacienda del Rio MH (Age-Restricted) 730 — FL January Total 10,390 926 (1) Contains 31 communities located in CT, GA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, NC and SC. In conjunction with the acquisition, we issued 1,972,876 shares of common stock, net of fractional shares paid in cash. (2) Contains 201 MH sites and 301 RV sites. (3) Contains two MH communities. (4) In conjunction with the acquisition, we issued Series D preferred OP units. As of December 31, 2019, 488,958 Series D preferred OP units were outstanding.
Schedule of Purchase Price Allocation	The following table summarizes the amounts of assets acquired net of liabilities assumed at the acquisition date and the consideration paid for the acquisitions completed in 2019 (in thousands): At Acquisition Date Consideration Investment in property Inventory of manufactured homes In-place leases and other intangible assets Other assets / (liabilities), net Total identifiable assets acquired net of liabilities assumed Cash and escrow Debt assumed Temporary and permanent equity Total consideration Slickrock Campground $ 8,250 $ — $ — $ 8 $ 8,258 $ 8,258 $ — $ — $ 8,258 Pandion Ridge 19,070 — — (92) 18,978 18,978 — — 18,978 Jensen Portfolio 374,402 3,605 7,752 3,938 389,697 18,306 58,000 313,391 389,697 Glen Ellis 5,955 — — (79) 5,876 1,976 3,900 — 5,876 Leisure Point Resort 43,632 18 850 (678) 43,822 43,822 — — 43,822 Reunion Lake 23,493 — — (1,153) 22,340 22,340 — — 22,340 River Plantation 22,589 75 — — 22,664 22,664 — — 22,664 Massey's Landing 36,250 — 220 (446) 36,024 36,024 — — 36,024 Shelby Properties 85,969 2,011 6,520 (1,015) 93,485 93,485 — — 93,485 Buena Vista 20,221 439 1,590 (93) 22,157 22,157 — — 22,157 Country Village 62,784 — 2,020 31 64,835 12,905 — 51,930 64,835 Hid'n Pines 10,680 — 70 (233) 10,517 10,517 — — 10,517 Hacienda del Rio 111,971 15 3,280 (237) 115,029 115,029 — — 115,029 Total $ 825,266 $ 6,163 $ 22,302 $ (49) $ 853,682 $ 426,461 $ 61,900 $ 365,321 $ 853,682	The following table summarizes the amounts of assets acquired net of liabilities assumed at the acquisition date and the consideration paid for the acquisitions completed for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 (in thousands): At Acquisition Date Consideration Investment in property Inventory of manufactured homes In-place leases and other intangible assets Other assets / (liabilities), net Total identifiable assets acquired net of liabilities assumed Cash and escrow Temporary and permanent equity Total consideration Cape Cod $ 13,350 $ — $ 150 $ (295) $ 13,205 $ 4,205 $ 9,000 $ 13,205 Jellystone Natural Bridge 11,364 — 80 (391) 11,053 11,053 — 11,053 Forest Springs 51,949 1,337 2,160 (107) 55,339 36,260 19,079 55,339 Crown Villa 16,792 — — (230) 16,562 16,562 — 16,562 Flamingo Lake 34,000 — — (155) 33,845 33,845 — 33,845 Woodsmoke 26,000 — — (461) 25,539 25,539 — 25,539 Jellystone Lone Star 21,000 — — (703) 20,297 20,297 — 20,297 El Capitan & Ocean Mesa 59,500 — — (1,321) 58,179 32,108 26,071 58,179 Highland Green Estates & Troy Villa 63,134 1,501 — 47 64,682 64,682 — 64,682 Total $ 297,089 $ 2,838 $ 2,390 $ (3,616) $ 298,701 $ 244,551 $ 54,150 $ 298,701
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information		The total amount of revenues and net income included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 related to the acquisitions completed in 2020 are set forth in the following table (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2020 Total revenues $ 5,714 $ 7,055 Net income $ 2,186 $ 2,400 The information presented below has been prepared for comparative purposes only and does not purport to be indicative of either future results of operations or the results of operations that would have actually occurred had the acquisition been consummated on January 1, 2019 (in thousands, except per-share data): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Total revenues $ 422,130 $ 393,218 $ 1,035,698 $ 992,993 Net income attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. common stockholders $ 85,822 $ 65,087 $ 128,646 $ 139,803 Net income per share attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. common stockholders - basic $ 0.90 $ 0.74 $ 1.35 $ 1.60 Net income per share attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. common stockholders - diluted $ 0.89 $ 0.74 $ 1.34 $ 1.59

Notes And Other Receivables (Ta

Notes And Other Receivables (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Long-term Notes and Loans, by Type, Current and Noncurrent [Abstract]
Schedule of notes and other receivables	The following table sets forth certain information regarding notes and other receivables (in thousands): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net $ 88,327 $ 95,580 Notes receivable from real estate developers 51,487 18,960 Other receivables, net 51,694 43,386 Total Notes and Other Receivables, net $ 191,508 $ 157,926
Schedule of Installment Notes Receivable	The change in the aggregate balance of the installment notes receivable is as follows (in thousands): Nine Months Ended Year Ended September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Beginning balance of gross installment notes receivable $ 96,225 $ 113,495 Financed sale of manufactured homes 3,226 341 Principal payments and payoffs from our customers (6,452) (8,710) Principal reduction from repossessed homes (3,352) (8,901) Ending balance of gross installment notes receivable 89,647 96,225 Beginning balance of allowance for losses on installment notes receivables (645) (697) Adjustment to allowance for losses — 52 Initial fair value option adjustment (see Note 17) 645 — Ending balance of allowance for losses on installment notes receivables — (645) Initial fair value option adjustment (see Note 17) 991 — Fair value adjustment (2,311) — Fair value adjustments on gross installment notes receivable (1,320) — Ending balance of installment notes receivable, net $ 88,327 $ 95,580

Intangible Assets Intangible As

Intangible Assets Intangible Assets (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net [Abstract]
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets	The gross carrying amounts and accumulated amortization are as follows (in thousands): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Intangible Asset Useful Life Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization In-place leases 7 years $ 129,380 $ (85,307) $ 127,313 $ (74,548) Franchise agreements and other intangible assets 7 - 20 years 16,944 (3,374) 16,943 (2,760) Total $ 146,324 $ (88,681) $ 144,256 $ (77,308)
Schedule of Intangible Assets Amortization Expense	Total amortization expense related to the intangible assets are as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Intangible Asset Amortization Expense September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 In-place leases $ 3,727 $ 3,781 $ 10,758 $ 11,253 Franchise fees and other intangible assets 205 205 614 614 Total $ 3,932 $ 3,986 $ 11,372 $ 11,867
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Future Amortization Expense	We anticipate amortization expense for our intangible assets to be as follows for the next five years (in thousands): Year Remainder 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Estimated expense $ 3,927 $ 15,446 $ 10,871 $ 7,496 $ 5,133

Investment In Affiliates (Table

Investment In Affiliates (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Equity Method Investments	The investment balance in each nonconsolidated affiliate is as follows (in thousands): Investment September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Investment in RezPlot $ 3,784 $ 4,184 Investment in Sungenia JV 15,688 11,995 Investment in GTSC 23,364 18,488 Investment in OFS 282 148 Investment in SV Lift 3,663 2,961 Total $ 46,781 $ 37,776 The income / (loss) from each nonconsolidated affiliate is as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Income / (Loss) from Nonconsolidated Affiliates September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 RezPlot equity income / (loss) $ 5 $ (356) $ (1,150) $ (804) Sungenia JV equity income / (loss) 51 (127) 198 (185) GTSC equity income 1,263 914 2,723 2,177 OFS equity income 54 82 134 192 SV Lift equity loss, net (169) — (557) — Total Income from Nonconsolidated Affiliates $ 1,204 $ 513 $ 1,348 $ 1,380

Consolidated Variable Interes_2

Consolidated Variable Interest Entities (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
DisclosureofVariableInterestEntities [Abstract]
Schedule of Variable Interest Entities	The following table summarizes the assets and liabilities of Sun NG Resorts, Rudgate, and Sun NG Whitewater RV Resorts LLC included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets after eliminations (in thousands): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Assets Investment property, net $ 385,296 $ 344,300 Other assets, net 24,651 23,894 Total Assets $ 409,947 $ 368,194 Liabilities and Other Equity Debt $ 46,197 $ 46,993 Preferred Equity - Sun NG Resorts - mandatorily redeemable 35,249 35,249 Other liabilities 21,380 13,631 Total Liabilities 102,826 95,873 Equity interest - NG Sun LLC & NG Sun Whitewater LLC 27,513 27,091 Noncontrolling interests 11,097 8,542 Total Liabilities and Other Equity $ 141,436 $ 131,506

Debt And Lines Of Credit (Table

Debt And Lines Of Credit (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of debt and lines of credit [Table Text Block]	The following table sets forth certain information regarding debt including premiums, discounts and deferred financing costs (in thousands except statistical information): Carrying Amount Weighted Average Weighted Average September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Collateralized term loans - Life Companies $ 1,665,445 $ 1,710,408 16.6 17.1 3.989 % 4.012 % Collateralized term loans - FNMA 887,161 697,589 8.6 7.0 3.402 % 3.659 % Collateralized term loans - CMBS 268,601 397,868 3.1 3.1 4.789 % 5.103 % Collateralized term loans - FMCC 370,173 374,727 4.1 4.9 3.854 % 3.856 % Total collateralized term loans 3,191,380 3,180,592 Preferred equity - Sun NG Resorts - mandatorily redeemable 35,249 35,249 2.0 2.8 6.000 % 6.000 % Preferred OP units - mandatorily redeemable 34,663 34,663 5.4 4.0 5.932 % 6.500 % Lines of credit and other debt 79,321 183,898 2.8 3.5 1.321 % 2.710 % Total debt $ 3,340,613 $ 3,434,402 11.4 11.1 3.863 % 4.026 %

Equity and Temporary Equity (Ta

Equity and Temporary Equity (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Equity [Abstract]
Activity of Conversions	Nine Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Series Conversion Rate Units / Shares Converted Common Stock (1) Units / Shares Converted Common Stock (1) Common OP unit 1.0000 29,886 29,886 443,158 443,158 Series A-1 preferred OP unit 2.4390 10,614 25,884 15,732 38,363 Series A-4 preferred OP unit 0.4444 — — 4,708 2,092 Series A-4 preferred stock 0.4444 — — 11,288 5,016 Series C preferred OP unit 1.1100 1,485 1,648 4,014 4,455
Schedule of Dividends Payable	Cash Distributions Record Date Payment Date Distribution Per Share Total Distribution (thousands) Common Stock, Common OP units and Restricted Stock 9/30/2020 10/15/2020 $ 0.79 $ 79,594

Share-Based Compensation (Table

Share-Based Compensation (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Noncash Expense [Abstract]
Schedule of Restricted Stock Granted	uring the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, shares were granted as follows: Grant Period Type Plan Shares Granted Grant Date Fair Value Per Share Vesting Type Vesting Anniversary Percentage 2020 Key Employees 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 1,500 $ 143.20 (1) Time Based 20.0% annually over 5 years 2020 Key Employees 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 51,790 $ 162.42 (1) Time Based 20.0% annually over 5 years 2020 Executive Officers 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 46,000 $ 165.97 (1) Time Based 20.0% annually over 5 years 2020 Executive Officers 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 69,000 (2) $ 125.47 (2) Market Condition 3rd 100.0 % 2020 Directors 2004 Non-Employee Director Option Plan 10,200 $ 147.97 (1) Time Based 3rd 100.0 % 2019 Executive Officers 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 44,000 $ 115.39 (1) Time Based 20.0% annually over 5 years 2019 Executive Officers 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 66,000 (3) $ 115.39 (3) Market Condition 3rd 100.0 % 2019 Directors 2004 Non-Employee Director Option Plan 18,000 $ 113.68 (1) Time Based 3rd 100.0 % 2019 Key Employees 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 55,770 $ 120.01 (1) Time Based 20.0% annually over 5 years 2019 Key Employees 2015 Equity Incentive Plan 6,000 $ 142.03 (1) Time Based 20.0% annually over 5 years (1) The fair values of the grants were determined by using the average closing price of our common stock on the dates the shares were issued. (2) Share-based compensation for restricted stock awards with market conditions is measured based on an estimate of shares expected to vest. We estimate the fair value of share-based compensation for restricted stock with market conditions using a Monte Carlo simulation. At the grant date our common stock price was $165.97. Based on the Monte Carlo simulation we expect 75.6 percent of the 69,000 shares to vest. (3) Share-based compensation for restricted stock awards with market conditions is measured based on an estimate of shares expected to vest. We estimate the fair value of share-based compensation for restricted stock with market conditions using a Monte Carlo simulation. At the grant date our common stock price was $115.39. Based on the Monte Carlo simulation we expect 75.1 percent of the 66,000 shares to vest.

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Calculation of Numerator and Denominator in Earnings Per Share [Table Text Block]	Computations of basic and diluted earnings per share were as follows (in thousands, except per share data): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Numerator Net Income Attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. Common Stockholders $ 81,204 $ 57,002 $ 124,028 $ 131,718 Less: allocation to restricted stock awards 536 437 821 1,020 Basic earnings - Net income attributable to common stockholders after allocation to restricted stock awards $ 80,668 $ 56,565 $ 123,207 $ 130,698 Add allocation to restricted stock awards — 437 — — Diluted earnings - Net income attributable to common stockholders after allocation to restricted stock awards (1) $ 80,668 $ 57,002 $ 123,207 $ 130,698 Denominator Weighted average common shares outstanding 97,542 89,847 95,270 87,499 Add: dilutive common share from forward sale 6 — 2 — Add: dilutive stock options 1 1 1 1 Add: dilutive restricted stock — 484 — — Diluted weighted average common shares and securities (1) 97,549 90,332 95,273 87,500 Earnings Per Share Available to Common Stockholders After Allocation Basic earnings per share $ 0.83 $ 0.63 $ 1.29 $ 1.49 Diluted earnings per share (1) $ 0.83 $ 0.63 $ 1.29 $ 1.49
Schedule of Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Table Text Block]	The following table presents the outstanding securities that were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share as of September 30, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands): As of September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Common OP units 2,473 2,282 A-1 preferred OP units 299 316 A-3 preferred OP units 40 40 A-4 preferred OP units — 406 Aspen preferred OP units 1,284 1,284 Series A-4 preferred stock — 1,052 Series C preferred OP units 309 310 Series D preferred OP units 489 489 Series E preferred OP units 90 — Series F preferred OP units 90 — Series G preferred OP units 261 — Total Securities 5,335 6,179

Fair Value of Financial Instr_2

Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value, by Balance Sheet Grouping	The table below sets forth our financial assets and liabilities (in thousands) that required disclosure of fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2020. The table presents the carrying values and fair values of our financial instruments as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, that were measured using the valuation techniques described above. The table excludes other financial instruments such as cash and cash equivalents, other receivables, and accounts payable as the carrying values associated with these instruments approximate their fair value since their maturities are less than one year. Nine Months Ended Year Ended September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Financial Assets Carrying Value Fair Carrying Value Fair Marketable securities $ 107,083 $ 107,083 $ 94,727 $ 94,727 Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net 88,327 88,327 95,580 95,580 Notes receivable from real estate developers 51,487 51,487 18,960 18,960 Total $ 246,897 $ 246,897 $ 209,267 $ 209,267 Financial Liabilities Debt $ 3,261,292 $ 3,306,279 $ 3,250,504 $ 3,270,544 Lines of credit and other debt 79,321 79,321 183,898 183,898 Other liabilities (contingent consideration) 6,828 6,828 6,134 6,134 Total $ 3,347,441 $ 3,392,428 $ 3,440,536 $ 3,460,576

Leases (Tables)

Leases (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Lease, Cost [Table Text Block]		for finance and operating leases as included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets are as follows (in thousands): Description Financial Statement Classification September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Lease Assets ROU asset obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities Other asset, net $ 4,135 $ 4,081 ROU asset obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities Other asset, net $ 24,365 $ 23,751 ROU asset obtained relative to below market operating lease Other asset, net $ 27,802 $ 28,366 Lease Liabilities Finance lease liabilities Other liabilities $ 4,135 $ 4,081 Operating lease liabilities Other liabilities $ 25,375 $ 24,222 Lease expense for finance and operating leases as included in our Consolidated Statements of Operations are as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Description Financial Statement Classification September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Finance lease expense Amortization of ROU assets Interest expense $ (18) $ (18) $ (54) $ (55) Interest on lease liabilities Interest expense 26 26 77 77 Operating lease cost General and administrative expense, Property operating and maintenance 973 794 2,925 2,598 Variable lease cost Property operating and maintenance 431 468 1,220 1,214 Total Lease Expense $ 1,412 $ 1,270 $ 4,168 $ 3,834
Finance Lease, Liability, Maturity [Table Text Block]	Future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable leases as of the nine months ended September 30, 2020 where we are the lessee include: Maturity of Lease Liabilities (in thousands) Operating Leases Finance Leases Total 2020 (Excluding nine months ended September 30, 2020) $ 821 $ 97 $ 918 2021 2,842 120 2,962 2022 2,863 120 2,983 2023 2,993 120 3,113 2024 3,300 4,060 7,360 Thereafter 32,774 — 32,774 Total Lease Payments $ 45,593 $ 4,517 $ 50,110 Less: Imputed interest (20,218) (382) (20,600) Present Value of Lease Liabilities $ 25,375 $ 4,135 $ 29,510
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, Maturity [Table Text Block]	Future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable leases as of the nine months ended September 30, 2020 where we are the lessee include: Maturity of Lease Liabilities (in thousands) Operating Leases Finance Leases Total 2020 (Excluding nine months ended September 30, 2020) $ 821 $ 97 $ 918 2021 2,842 120 2,962 2022 2,863 120 2,983 2023 2,993 120 3,113 2024 3,300 4,060 7,360 Thereafter 32,774 — 32,774 Total Lease Payments $ 45,593 $ 4,517 $ 50,110 Less: Imputed interest (20,218) (382) (20,600) Present Value of Lease Liabilities $ 25,375 $ 4,135 $ 29,510

Basis of Presentation Basis of

Basis of Presentation Basis of Presentation (Details)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Percent Manufactured Housing Residents	0.65
Percent Recreational Vehicle Guests	0.35

Revenue (Details)

Revenue (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	$ 284,373	$ 251,163	$ 753,642	$ 689,890
Revenues	400,514	362,443	1,014,082	962,218
Income From Real Property [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	284,373	251,163	753,642	689,890
Revenue From Home Sales [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	47,662	49,805	126,779	136,665
Rental Home Revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	16,171	14,444	46,611	42,827
Ancillary Revenues [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	43,803	37,259	66,373	67,157
Interest [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	2,624	4,770	7,609	14,489
Brokerage Commissions And Other Revenues, Net [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	5,881	5,002	13,068	11,190
Real Property Operations Segment [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	336,681	298,194	840,692	782,726
Real Property Operations Segment [Member] | Income From Real Property [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	284,373	251,163	753,642	689,890
Real Property Operations Segment [Member] | Revenue From Home Sales [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	0	0	0	0
Real Property Operations Segment [Member] | Rental Home Revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	0	0	0	0
Real Property Operations Segment [Member] | Ancillary Revenues [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	43,803	37,259	66,373	67,157
Real Property Operations Segment [Member] | Interest [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	2,624	4,770	7,609	14,489
Real Property Operations Segment [Member] | Brokerage Commissions And Other Revenues, Net [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	5,881	5,002	13,068	11,190
Home Sales and Home Rentals Segment [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	63,833	64,249	173,390	179,492
Home Sales and Home Rentals Segment [Member] | Income From Real Property [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	0	0	0	0
Home Sales and Home Rentals Segment [Member] | Revenue From Home Sales [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	47,662	49,805	126,779	136,665
Home Sales and Home Rentals Segment [Member] | Rental Home Revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	16,171	14,444	46,611	42,827
Home Sales and Home Rentals Segment [Member] | Ancillary Revenues [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	0	0	0	0
Home Sales and Home Rentals Segment [Member] | Interest [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	0	0	0	0
Home Sales and Home Rentals Segment [Member] | Brokerage Commissions And Other Revenues, Net [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Income from real property	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

Revenue Contract Balances (Deta

Revenue Contract Balances (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Contract with Customer, Asset, Reclassified to Receivable	$ 20.8	$ 20.9

Real Estate Acquisitions, Sched

Real Estate Acquisitions, Schedule of Business Acquisitions, by Acquisition (Details)	1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2020shares	Sep. 30, 2020sitedevelopment_sitecommunityshares	Dec. 31, 2019sitecommunitysitesshares	Dec. 31, 2019development_site	Dec. 31, 2019shares
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site		3,517	10,390
Development Sites | development_site		109		926
Shares outstanding (in shares) | shares					488,958
Number of motor home communities (in communities) | community		2	2
Equity interest issued or issuable, number of shares (in shares) | shares			1,972,876
Number of MH sites (in sites) | sites			201
Number of RV sites (in sites) | sites			301
Series E Preferred OP Units
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Shares outstanding (in shares) | shares		90,000
Series F Preferred OP Units
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Shares outstanding (in shares) | shares		90,000
Common OP Units
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Shares outstanding (in shares) | shares		82,420
Cape Cod
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site		230
Development Sites | development_site		0
Jellystone Natural Bridge
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site		299
Development Sites | development_site		0
Forest Springs
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site		372
Development Sites | development_site		0
Forest Springs | Common OP Units
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Equity interest issued or issuable, number of shares (in shares) | shares	82,420
Crown Villa
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site		123
Development Sites | development_site		0
Flamingo Lake
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site		421
Development Sites | development_site		0
Woodsmoke
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site		300
Development Sites | development_site		0
Jellystone Lone Star
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site		344
Development Sites | development_site		0
El Capitan & Ocean Mesa
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site		266
Development Sites | development_site		109
Highland Green Estates & Troy Villa
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site		1,162
Development Sites | development_site		0
Slickrock Campground
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site			193
Development Sites | development_site				0
Pandion Ridge
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site			142
Development Sites | development_site				351
Jensen Portfolio
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Development Sites			5,230	466
Number of motor home communities (in communities) | community			31
Glen Ellis
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site			244
Development Sites | development_site				40
Leisure Point Resort
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site			502
Development Sites | development_site				0
Reunion Lake
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site			202
Development Sites | development_site				69
River Plantation
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site			309
Development Sites | development_site				0
Massey’s Landing RV
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site			291
Development Sites | development_site				0
Shelby Properties
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site			1,308
Development Sites | development_site				0
Buena Vista
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site			400
Development Sites | development_site				0
Country Village Estates
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site			518
Development Sites | development_site				0
Hid’n Pines RV
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site			321
Development Sites | development_site				0
Hacienda del Rio
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sites | site			730
Development Sites | development_site				0

Real Estate Acquisitions, Sch_2

Real Estate Acquisitions, Schedule of Purchase Price Allocation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Capitalized transaction costs		$ 4,500
At acquistion date
Investment in property		297,089	$ 825,266
Inventory of manufactured homes		2,838	6,163
In-place leases and other intangible assets		2,390	22,302
Other assets / (liabilities), net		(3,616)	49
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed		298,701	853,682
Consideration
Cash and escrow	$ 426,461	244,551
Debt assumed			61,900
Temporary and permanent equity	365,321	54,150
Total consideration	853,682	298,701
Cape Cod
At acquistion date
Investment in property		13,350
Inventory of manufactured homes		0
In-place leases and other intangible assets		150
Other assets / (liabilities), net		(295)
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed		13,205
Consideration
Cash and escrow		4,205
Temporary and permanent equity		9,000
Total consideration		13,205
Jellystone Natural Bridge
At acquistion date
Investment in property		11,364
Inventory of manufactured homes		0
In-place leases and other intangible assets		80
Other assets / (liabilities), net		(391)
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed		11,053
Consideration
Cash and escrow		11,053
Temporary and permanent equity		0
Total consideration		11,053
Forest Springs
At acquistion date
Investment in property		51,949
Inventory of manufactured homes		1,337
In-place leases and other intangible assets		2,160
Other assets / (liabilities), net		(107)
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed		55,339
Consideration
Cash and escrow		36,260
Temporary and permanent equity		19,079
Total consideration		55,339
Crown Villa
At acquistion date
Investment in property		16,792
Inventory of manufactured homes		0
In-place leases and other intangible assets		0
Other assets / (liabilities), net		(230)
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed		16,562
Consideration
Cash and escrow		16,562
Temporary and permanent equity		0
Total consideration		16,562
Flamingo Lake
At acquistion date
Investment in property		34,000
Inventory of manufactured homes		0
In-place leases and other intangible assets		0
Other assets / (liabilities), net		(155)
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed		33,845
Consideration
Cash and escrow		33,845
Temporary and permanent equity		0
Total consideration		33,845
Woodsmoke
At acquistion date
Investment in property		26,000
Inventory of manufactured homes		0
In-place leases and other intangible assets		0
Other assets / (liabilities), net		(461)
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed		25,539
Consideration
Cash and escrow		25,539
Temporary and permanent equity		0
Total consideration		25,539
Jellystone Lone Star
At acquistion date
Investment in property		21,000
Inventory of manufactured homes		0
In-place leases and other intangible assets		0
Other assets / (liabilities), net		(703)
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed		20,297
Consideration
Cash and escrow		20,297
Temporary and permanent equity		0
Total consideration		20,297
El Capitan & Ocean Mesa
At acquistion date
Investment in property		59,500
Inventory of manufactured homes		0
In-place leases and other intangible assets		0
Other assets / (liabilities), net		(1,321)
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed		58,179
Consideration
Cash and escrow		32,108
Temporary and permanent equity		26,071
Total consideration		58,179
Highland Green Estates & Troy Villa
At acquistion date
Investment in property		63,134
Inventory of manufactured homes		1,501
In-place leases and other intangible assets		0
Other assets / (liabilities), net		47
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed		64,682
Consideration
Cash and escrow		64,682
Temporary and permanent equity		0
Total consideration		$ 64,682
Slickrock Campground
At acquistion date
Investment in property			8,250
Inventory of manufactured homes			0
In-place leases and other intangible assets			0
Other assets / (liabilities), net			(8)
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed			8,258
Consideration
Cash and escrow	8,258
Debt assumed			0
Temporary and permanent equity	0
Total consideration	8,258
Pandion Ridge
At acquistion date
Investment in property			19,070
Inventory of manufactured homes			0
In-place leases and other intangible assets			0
Other assets / (liabilities), net			92
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed			18,978
Consideration
Cash and escrow	18,978
Debt assumed			0
Temporary and permanent equity	0
Total consideration	18,978
Jensen Portfolio
At acquistion date
Investment in property			374,402
Inventory of manufactured homes			3,605
In-place leases and other intangible assets			7,752
Other assets / (liabilities), net			(3,938)
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed			389,697
Consideration
Cash and escrow	18,306
Debt assumed			58,000
Temporary and permanent equity	313,391
Total consideration	389,697
Glen Ellis
At acquistion date
Investment in property			5,955
Inventory of manufactured homes			0
In-place leases and other intangible assets			0
Other assets / (liabilities), net			79
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed			5,876
Consideration
Cash and escrow	1,976
Debt assumed			3,900
Temporary and permanent equity	0
Total consideration	5,876
Leisure Point Resort
At acquistion date
Investment in property			43,632
Inventory of manufactured homes			18
In-place leases and other intangible assets			850
Other assets / (liabilities), net			678
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed			43,822
Consideration
Cash and escrow	43,822
Debt assumed			0
Temporary and permanent equity	0
Total consideration	43,822
Reunion Lake
At acquistion date
Investment in property			23,493
Inventory of manufactured homes			0
In-place leases and other intangible assets			0
Other assets / (liabilities), net			1,153
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed			22,340
Consideration
Cash and escrow	22,340
Debt assumed			0
Temporary and permanent equity	0
Total consideration	22,340
River Plantation
At acquistion date
Investment in property			22,589
Inventory of manufactured homes			75
In-place leases and other intangible assets			0
Other assets / (liabilities), net			0
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed			22,664
Consideration
Cash and escrow	22,664
Debt assumed			0
Temporary and permanent equity	0
Total consideration	22,664
Massey’s Landing RV
At acquistion date
Investment in property			36,250
Inventory of manufactured homes			0
In-place leases and other intangible assets			220
Other assets / (liabilities), net			446
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed			36,024
Consideration
Cash and escrow	36,024
Debt assumed			0
Temporary and permanent equity	0
Total consideration	36,024
Shelby Properties
At acquistion date
Investment in property			85,969
Inventory of manufactured homes			2,011
In-place leases and other intangible assets			6,520
Other assets / (liabilities), net			1,015
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed			93,485
Consideration
Cash and escrow	93,485
Debt assumed			0
Temporary and permanent equity	0
Total consideration	93,485
Buena Vista
At acquistion date
Investment in property			20,221
Inventory of manufactured homes			439
In-place leases and other intangible assets			1,590
Other assets / (liabilities), net			93
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed			22,157
Consideration
Cash and escrow	22,157
Debt assumed			0
Temporary and permanent equity	0
Total consideration	22,157
Country Village Estates
At acquistion date
Investment in property			62,784
Inventory of manufactured homes			0
In-place leases and other intangible assets			2,020
Other assets / (liabilities), net			(31)
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed			64,835
Consideration
Cash and escrow	12,905
Debt assumed			0
Temporary and permanent equity	51,930
Total consideration	64,835
Hid’n Pines RV
At acquistion date
Investment in property			10,680
Inventory of manufactured homes			0
In-place leases and other intangible assets			70
Other assets / (liabilities), net			233
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed			10,517
Consideration
Cash and escrow	10,517
Debt assumed			0
Temporary and permanent equity	0
Total consideration	10,517
Hacienda del Rio
At acquistion date
Investment in property			111,971
Inventory of manufactured homes			15
In-place leases and other intangible assets			3,280
Other assets / (liabilities), net			237
Total identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed			115,029
Consideration
Cash and escrow	115,029
Debt assumed			$ 0
Temporary and permanent equity	0
Total consideration	$ 115,029

Real Estate Acquisitions, Pro F

Real Estate Acquisitions, Pro Forma (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total revenues	$ 5,714		$ 7,055
Net income attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. common stockholders	2,186		2,400
Acquisitions - 2019
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total revenues		$ 393,218		$ 992,993
Net income attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. common stockholders		$ 65,087		$ 139,803
Net income per share attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. common stockholders - basic		$ 0.74		$ 1.60
Net income per share attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. common stockholders - diluted		$ 0.74		$ 1.59
Acquisitions - 2020
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total revenues	422,130		1,035,698
Net income attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. common stockholders	$ 85,822		$ 128,646
Net income per share attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. common stockholders - basic	$ 0.90		$ 1.35
Net income per share attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. common stockholders - diluted	$ 0.89		$ 1.34

Real Estate Acquisitions, Narra

Real Estate Acquisitions, Narrative (Details) $ in Thousands	Sep. 29, 2020USD ($)	Jul. 01, 2020USD ($)development_site	Aug. 31, 2019USD ($)	Apr. 30, 2019USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)sites
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total consideration								$ 853,682	$ 298,701
Total consideration, assets acquired and liabilities assumed, land											$ 7,700
Purchase of tangible property					$ 300
Number of MH sites (in sites) | sites											201
Gain on disposition of property						$ 5,595	$ 0		$ 5,595	$ 0
Safe Harbor Marinas
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total consideration	$ 2,100,000
Safe Harbor Marinas Four Properties
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair value of assets acquired	112,600
Safe Harbor Marinas Eleven Properties
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair value of assets acquired	$ 260,200
Countryside Village
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of MH sites (in sites) | development_site		226
Consideration received		$ 12,600
Gain on disposition of property		$ 5,600
Chincoteague
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total consideration			$ 19,500
Strafford
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total consideration				$ 2,700

Notes and Other Receivables, Sc

Notes and Other Receivables, Schedule of notes and other receivables (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total notes and other receivables, net	$ 191,508	$ 157,926
Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total notes and other receivables, net	88,327	95,580
Notes receivable from real estate developers
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total notes and other receivables, net	51,487	18,960
Other receivables, net
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total notes and other receivables, net	$ 51,694	$ 43,386

Notes And Other Receivables - N

Notes And Other Receivables - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Receivable with imputed interest, net		$ 88,327	$ 95,580
Accounts and Financing Receivable, after Allowance for Credit Loss		191,508	157,926
Undrawn Funds On Loans		10,500
Notes Receivable, Fair Value Disclosure		51,487	18,960
Other receivables for rent, water, sewer usage		10,000	7,800
Allowance for rent, water, sewer usage receivables		(6,300)	(2,200)
Contract with Customer, Asset, Reclassified to Receivable		20,800	20,900
Insurance receivables		8,300	9,900
Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Accounts and Financing Receivable, after Allowance for Credit Loss		88,327	95,580
Loans and Leases Receivable, Allowance	$ (600)	$ (600)
Receivable with Imputed Interest, Effective Yield (Interest Rate)	8.00%	7.90%
Receivable With Imputed Interest, Term	15 years 9 months 18 days	15 years 3 months 18 days
Notes receivable from real estate developers
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Accounts and Financing Receivable, after Allowance for Credit Loss		$ 51,487	$ 18,960
Receivable with Imputed Interest, Effective Yield (Interest Rate)		5.80%	7.00%
Receivable With Imputed Interest, Term		1 year 4 months 24 days	1 year 3 months 18 days
Reported Value Measurement | Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Accounts and Financing Receivable, after Allowance for Credit Loss			$ 95,580
Other Receivables		$ 12,600	4,800
Fair Value, Recurring | Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Notes receivable, fair value adjustment		(1,300)	991	$ 0
Fair Value, Recurring | Estimate of Fair Value Measurement | Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Notes receivable, fair value adjustment		(1,320)	0
Accounts and Financing Receivable, after Allowance for Credit Loss		88,327	95,580
Fair Value, Recurring | Reported Value Measurement | Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Notes receivable, fair value adjustment		(2,311)	$ 0
Accounts and Financing Receivable, after Allowance for Credit Loss		$ 88,327

Notes and Other Receivables, _2

Notes and Other Receivables, Schedule of installment notes receivable (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Receivable with imputed interest, net		$ 88,327	$ 95,580
Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, gross
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Beginning balance	$ 96,225	96,225
Financed sales of manufactured homes	341	3,226
Principal payments and payoffs from our customers	(8,710)	(6,452)
Principal reduction from repossessed homes	8,901	3,352
Ending balance		89,647
Collateralized receivables, net and Installment Notes Receivables on Manufactured Homes
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Beginning balance	645	645
Ending balance		0
Notes receivable, fair value adjustment		0	52
Increase to reserve balance	$ 0	645
Fair Value, Recurring | Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Notes receivable, fair value adjustment		(1,300)	991	$ 0
Fair Value, Recurring | Reported Value Measurement | Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Notes receivable, fair value adjustment		(2,311)	0
Fair Value, Recurring | Estimate of Fair Value Measurement | Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Notes receivable, fair value adjustment		$ (1,320)	$ 0

Intangible Assets Intangible _2

Intangible Assets Intangible Assets, Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 146,324	$ 144,256
Accumulated Amortization	$ (88,681)	(77,308)
Leases, Acquired-in-Place [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	7 years
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 129,380	127,313
Accumulated Amortization	(85,307)	(74,548)
Franchise Rights [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount	16,944	16,943
Accumulated Amortization	$ (3,374)	$ (2,760)
Minimum [Member] | Leases, Acquired-in-Place [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	7 years
Maximum [Member] | Leases, Acquired-in-Place [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	20 years

Intangible Assets Intangible _3

Intangible Assets Intangible Assets, Schedule of Intangible Asset Amortization Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization of Intangible Assets	$ 3,932	$ 3,986	$ 11,372	$ 11,867
Leases, Acquired-in-Place [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization of Intangible Assets	3,727	3,781	10,758	11,253
Franchise Rights [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization of Intangible Assets	$ 205	$ 205	$ 614	$ 614

Intangible Assets, Intangibles

Intangible Assets, Intangibles Future Amortization Expense (Details) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Remainder 2020	$ 3,927
2021	15,446
2022	10,871
2023	7,496
2024	$ 5,133

Investment In Affiliates , Narr

Investment In Affiliates , Narrative (Details)	Sep. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019
RezPlot [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage	50.00%
Sungenia JV [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage		50.00%
GTSC [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage	40.00%		40.00%		40.00%
Origen Financial Services [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage	22.90%		22.90%
SV Lift [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage	50.00%			50.00%

Investment in Affiliates, Inves

Investment in Affiliates, Investment Balance (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments	$ 1,204		$ 513	$ 1,348	$ 1,380
Equity Method Investments	46,781			46,781		$ 37,776
RezPlot [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments	5		(356)	(1,150)	(804)
Equity Method Investments	3,784			3,784		4,184
Sungenia JV [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments	51		(127)	198	(185)
Equity Method Investments	15,688			15,688		11,995
GTSC [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments	1,263	$ 2,803	914	2,723	2,177
Equity Method Investment, Fair Value Adjustment		0		(1,505)
Equity Method Investments	23,364			23,364		18,488	$ 29,780
Equity Method Investment, Adjustment, Allowance for Losses		144		0
Equity Method Investments, Initial Fair Value Adjustment		0		317
Equity Method Investment, Cash Contributions		33,143		14,555
Proceeds from Equity Method Investment, Distribution		$ (47,382)		(11,214)
Origen Financial Services [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments	54		82	134	192
Equity Method Investments	282			282		148
SV Lift [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments	(169)		$ 0	(557)	$ 0
Equity Method Investments	$ 3,663			$ 3,663		$ 2,961

Consolidated Variable Interes_3

Consolidated Variable Interest Entities, Schedule of Variable Interest Entities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Investment property, net	$ 7,647,469	$ 7,232,620
Other Assets	225,998	219,896
Secured Debt	3,191,380	3,180,592
Other Liabilities	83,952	81,289
Liabilities	3,791,922	3,848,104
Consolidated VIEs (fully attributable to consolidated VIEs; see Note 7)	$ 11,097	$ 8,542
VIE as a Percentage of Consolidated Assets	4.90%	4.70%
VIE as a Percentage of Consolidated Liabilities	2.70%	2.50%
VIE as a Percentage of Total Equity	1.00%
Assets	$ 8,335,717	$ 7,802,060
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Investment property, net	385,296	344,300
Other Assets	24,651	23,894
Secured Debt	46,197	46,993
Preferred OP units - mandatorily redeemable	35,249	35,249
Other Liabilities	21,380	13,631
Liabilities	102,826	95,873
Equity Interests	27,513	27,091
Consolidated VIEs (fully attributable to consolidated VIEs; see Note 7)	11,097	8,542
Total Liabilities and Stockholder's Equity	141,436	131,506
Assets	$ 409,947	$ 368,194

Debt And Lines Of Credit , Sche

Debt And Lines Of Credit , Schedule of debt and lines of credit (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended					6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Reduction in secured borrowing balance							$ 0	$ 14,062,000
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2020
Secured debt	$ 3,191,380,000		$ 3,180,592,000				$ 3,191,380,000
Debt weighted average to maturity, years						11 years 1 month 6 days	11 years 4 months 24 days
Weighted average interest rate	3.863%		4.026%				3.863%
Lines of credit and other debt	$ 79,321,000		$ 183,898,000				$ 79,321,000
Total debt	3,340,613,000		3,434,402,000				3,340,613,000
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)	0			$ (12,755,000)			(5,209,000)	(13,478,000)
Collateralized term loans - CMBS [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Secured debt	$ 887,161,000		$ 397,868,000				$ 887,161,000
Debt weighted average to maturity, years						3 years 1 month 6 days	8 years 7 months 6 days
Weighted average interest rate	3.402%		5.103%				3.402%
Secured borrowing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount		$ 230,000,000	$ 400,000,000	$ 250,000,000	$ 265,000,000			$ 250,000,000
Debt instrument term		15 years	21 years	10 years	25 years
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		2.995%	4.026%	2.925%	4.17%			2.925%
Preferred OP units [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Secured debt	$ 34,663,000						$ 34,663,000
Preferred OP units - mandatorily redeemable	34,663,000		$ 34,663,000				34,663,000
Debt weighted average to maturity, years						4 years
Weighted average interest rate			6.50%
Preferred Equity, Mandatorily Redeemable [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Preferred OP units - mandatorily redeemable	$ 35,249,000		$ 35,249,000				$ 35,249,000
Debt instrument term							2 years
Debt weighted average to maturity, years						2 years 9 months 18 days
Weighted average interest rate	6.00%		6.00%				6.00%
Matures December 1, 2021, 5.98 Percent Interest Rate | Secured borrowing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Reduction in secured borrowing balance							$ 52,710,000
Interest rate	5.98%						5.98%
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)							$ 1,930,000
Matures March 1, 2021, 5.837 Percent Interest Rate [Member] [Domain] [Domain] | Secured borrowing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Reduction in secured borrowing balance							$ 99,607,000
Interest rate	5.837%						5.837%
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)							$ 3,403,000
Matures July 1, 2020, 5.86 Percent Interest Rate [Member] [Domain] | Secured borrowing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Reduction in secured borrowing balance							$ 19,922,000
Interest rate	5.83%						5.83%
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)						$ (124,000)
Matures March 1, 2020, 5.62 Percent Interest Rate [Member] | Secured borrowing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Reduction in secured borrowing balance						17,048,000
Interest rate			5.62%
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)						$ (84,000)
Federal National Mortgage Association Certificates and Obligations (FNMA) [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Secured debt	$ 370,173,000		$ 697,589,000				$ 370,173,000
Debt weighted average to maturity, years						7 years	4 years 1 month 6 days
Weighted average interest rate	3.854%		3.659%				3.854%
Life Companies [Member] | Collateralized Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Secured debt	$ 1,665,445,000		$ 1,710,408,000				$ 1,665,445,000
Debt weighted average to maturity, years						17 years 1 month 6 days	16 years 7 months 6 days
Weighted average interest rate	3.989%		4.012%				3.989%
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Certificates and Obligations (FHLMC) [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Secured debt	$ 268,601,000		$ 374,727,000				$ 268,601,000
Debt weighted average to maturity, years						4 years 10 months 24 days	3 years 1 month 6 days
Weighted average interest rate	4.789%		3.856%				4.789%
Matures November 1, 2021, 5.10 Percent Interest Rate [Member] | Secured borrowing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Reduction in secured borrowing balance						$ 127,282,000
Interest rate			5.10%
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)						3,274,000
Matures March 1 and April 1, 2020, 6.24 Percent Interest Rate [Member] | Secured borrowing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Reduction in secured borrowing balance						21,527,000
Interest rate			6.24%
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)						(163,000)
Matures May 1, 2023, 4.3 Percent Interest Rate [Member] | Secured borrowing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Reduction in secured borrowing balance		$ 134,021,000
Interest rate		4.30%
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)						$ 12,755,000
Matures January 1, 2030, 3.83 Percent Interest Rate [Member] | Secured borrowing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Reduction in secured borrowing balance								$ 186,815,000
Interest rate				3.83%				3.83%
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)								$ 653,000
Reported Value Measurement | Secured borrowing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt weighted average to maturity, years							5 years 4 months 24 days
Weighted average interest rate	5.932%						5.932%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Lines of credit and other debt	$ 79,321,000						$ 79,321,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt weighted average to maturity, years						3 years 6 months	2 years 9 months 18 days
Weighted average interest rate	1.321%		2.71%				1.321%

Debt And Lines Of Credit , Narr

Debt And Lines Of Credit , Narrative - Collateralized Term Loans (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended					6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)sitepropertiesRate	Mar. 31, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)siteRate	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)sitepropertiesRate	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt	$ 0			$ 12,755			$ 5,209	$ 13,478
Reduction in secured borrowing balance							$ 0	14,062
Weighted average interest rate | Rate	3.863%		4.026%				3.863%
Sites | site	3,517		10,390				3,517
Debt weighted average to maturity, length						11 years 1 month 6 days	11 years 4 months 24 days
Total debt	$ 3,191,380		$ 3,180,592				$ 3,191,380
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2020
Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount		$ 230,000	$ 400,000	$ 250,000	$ 265,000			$ 250,000
Debt instrument term		15 years	21 years	10 years	25 years
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		2.995%	4.026%	2.925%	4.17%			2.925%
Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate | Rate	3.402%		5.103%				3.402%
Debt weighted average to maturity, length						3 years 1 month 6 days	8 years 7 months 6 days
Total debt	$ 887,161		$ 397,868				$ 887,161
Collateralized Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Net book value of properties securing collateralized term loans	$ 3,100,000						$ 3,100,000
Properties securing debt [Member] | Collateralized Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Sites | site	71,644						71,644
Debt Instrument, number of properties securing a debt instument | properties	179						179

Debt And Lines Of Credit , Na_2

Debt And Lines Of Credit , Narrative - Aspen Preferred OP Units and Series B-3 preferred OP units (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2020shares$ / sharesRate	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)shares	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014$ / shares
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Convertible units to shares (in shares) | shares		1,013,819
Financial Instruments Subject to Mandatory Redemption, Rate Of Return	6.00%
Preferred Equity, Mandatorily Redeemable [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Financial Instruments Subject to Mandatory Redemption, Value of Shares Issued | $					$ 35,300
Preferred OP units - mandatorily redeemable | $			$ 35,249	$ 35,249
Preferred OP units [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Convertible units to shares (in shares) | shares		270,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate During Period | Rate		6.50%
Preferred OP units - mandatorily redeemable | $			34,663	34,663
Preferred OP units [Member] | Convertible debt - Aspen Preferred OP Units January 2024 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount | $			$ 34,700	$ 34,700
Convertible units to shares (in shares) | shares			408,152
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate During Period | Rate		3.80%
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Conversion Price | $ / shares		$ 27				$ 68
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Percent Of Amount By Which The Market Price Of Common Stock Exceeds Threshold | Rate		25.00%
Conversion of Stock, Shares Converted | shares		0.397

Debt And Lines Of Credit , Na_3

Debt And Lines Of Credit , Narrative - Line of Credit (Details) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Apr. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2020USD ($)Rate	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)Rate	Jun. 30, 2020AUD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)Rate	Oct. 31, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	May 31, 2019USD ($)	Apr. 25, 2017USD ($)Rate
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Long-term Debt			$ 1,400,000	$ 154,700,000
Lines of credit				$ 79,321,000		$ 183,898,000
Weighted average interest rate | Rate				3.863%		4.026%
Debt weighted average to maturity, length			11 years 1 month 6 days	11 years 4 months 24 days
Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity										$ 750,000,000
Line of credit, borrowing capacity										1,100,000,000
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date	May 21, 2023
Line of credit, additional borrowing capacity										350,000,000
Letters of credit outstanding, amount				$ 2,900,000		$ 2,800,000
Line of credit - manufactured home floor plan facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of credit, borrowing capacity		$ 12,000,000
Lines of credit				3,600,000		3,300,000
Prime Rate [Member] | Line of credit - manufactured home floor plan facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Basis points | Rate		10000.00%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of credit, borrowing capacity										650,000,000
Long-term Debt				28,100,000		$ 123,600,000
Lines of credit				$ 79,321,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate | Rate				1.321%		2.71%
Debt weighted average to maturity, length			3 years 6 months	2 years 9 months 18 days
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Term Loan [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Lines of credit				$ 47,500,000		$ 57,000,000	$ 58,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Eurodollar [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of credit variable interest rate | Rate		1.20%
Term Loan [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of credit, borrowing capacity									$ 100,000,000	$ 100,000,000
Term Loan [Member] | Eurodollar [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of credit variable interest rate | Rate		1.20%
Minimum [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Eurodollar [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Interest rate | Rate										1.20%
Minimum [Member] | Term Loan [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Interest rate		1.20%
Maximum [Member] | Prime Rate [Member] | Line of credit - manufactured home floor plan facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Interest rate | Rate		6.00%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage | Rate		5.00%
Maximum [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Eurodollar [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Interest rate | Rate										2.10%
Maximum [Member] | Term Loan [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Interest rate		2.05%
GTSC [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of credit, borrowing capacity				180,000,000				$ 125,000,000
Long-term Debt				$ 61,900,000		49,400,000
Ownership percentage		40.00%		40.00%				40.00%
RezPlot [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount				$ 10,000,000
Ownership percentage				50.00%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage				3.00%
Convertible Notes Payable				$ 500,000
Sungenia JV [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of credit, borrowing capacity			$ 19,300,000		$ 27
Long-term Debt			$ 700,000
Ownership percentage			50.00%		50.00%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage				2.05%
GTSC [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Long-term Debt						$ 123,400,000
GTSC [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Basis points				1.65%

Equity and Temporary Equity, Na

Equity and Temporary Equity, Narrative (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	Oct. 05, 2021USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020$ / sharesshares	May 31, 2020USD ($)shares	Feb. 28, 2020	Jan. 31, 2020	Oct. 31, 2019shares	Aug. 31, 2019USD ($)	May 31, 2019USD ($)shares	Feb. 28, 2019$ / sharesRateshares	Jun. 30, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)$ / sharesRateshares	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2020USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2019USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2020shares	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)$ / sharesshares	Sep. 30, 2019shares	Dec. 31, 2019shares	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Sale of Stock, Number of Shares Issued in Transaction		9,200,000	4,968,000					3,737,500
Sale of Stock, Price Per Share | $ / shares		$ 139.50									$ 139.50							$ 139.50
Proceeds from Issuance of Common Stock | $			$ 633,100					$ 452,100
Variable Interest Entity, Equity Interests Issued | $							$ 2,400				$ (67)	$ (67)	$ (85)	$ (93)	$ (117)	$ (256)
Issuance of common stock and common OP units, net | $											$ (1,622)	638,669	(7,140)	$ (1,549)	447,741	(4,321)					$ 163,800
Aggregate Value of Shares to be Issued in Accordance to Sales Agreement | $													$ 450,000
Commission, Maximum Percentage of Gross Sales Price Per Share According to Sales Agreement													200.00%
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, New Issues																	458,541
Temporary Equity, Dividends For Term Two, Percentage			3.00%
Shares outstanding (in shares)																				488,958
Equity interest issued or issuable, number of shares (in shares)																				1,972,876
Series E Preferred OP Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Temporary Equity, Dividends For Term One, Percentage											5.25%
Series A-4 Preferred Stock, Shares Issued		90,000									90,000							90,000
Temporary Equity, Issuance Price | $ / shares											$ 100
Temporary Equity, Dividends For Term Two, Percentage | Rate											5.50%
Shares outstanding (in shares)		90,000									90,000							90,000
Series E Preferred OP Units | Maximum [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Convertible Preferred Stock, Shares Issued Per Share Upon Conversion					145
Series E Preferred OP Units | Minimum [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Convertible Preferred Stock, Shares Issued Per Share Upon Conversion					100
Series D Preferred OP Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Temporary Equity, Dividends For Term One, Percentage									3.75%
Series A-4 Preferred Stock, Shares Issued									488,958
Temporary Equity, Issuance Price | $ / shares									$ 100
Temporary Equity, Dividends For Term Two, Percentage | Rate									4.00%
Shares outstanding (in shares)		488,958									488,958							488,958
Series D Preferred OP Units | Maximum [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Convertible Preferred Stock, Shares Issued Per Share Upon Conversion				160					125
Series D Preferred OP Units | Minimum [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Convertible Preferred Stock, Shares Issued Per Share Upon Conversion									100
Series A-4 Preferred Stock
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Temporary Equity, Dividends For Term One, Percentage																	6.50%
Conversion of Common OP Units to common stock (in shares)																	1,031,747
Common Stock
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Dividends per common share | $ / shares																		$ 0.79
Payments of dividends | $																		$ 79,594
Common OP Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Series A-4 Preferred Stock, Shares Issued																				180,277
Shares outstanding (in shares)		82,420									82,420							82,420
Series A-4 preferred OP units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion of Common OP Units to common stock (in shares)																	405,656
Series F Preferred OP Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Series A-4 Preferred Stock, Shares Issued			90,000
Temporary Equity, Issuance Price | $ / shares		$ 100
Shares outstanding (in shares)		90,000									90,000							90,000
Series F Preferred OP Units | Minimum [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Convertible Preferred Stock, Shares Issued Per Share Upon Conversion				100
Series G Preferred OP Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Temporary Equity, Dividends For Term One, Percentage		3.20%
Series A-4 Preferred Stock, Shares Issued		260,710									260,710							260,710
Series G Preferred OP Units | Maximum [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Convertible Preferred Stock, Shares Issued Per Share Upon Conversion					155
Series G Preferred OP Units | Minimum [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Convertible Preferred Stock, Shares Issued Per Share Upon Conversion					100
Common Stock
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Issuance of common stock and common OP units, net | $												$ 49	$ 1		$ 37	$ 1
Series A-4 preferred OP units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion of Common OP Units to common stock (in shares)																		0	2,092
Series A-4 preferred OP units | Common OP Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion of Common OP Units to common stock (in shares)																		0	4,708
Conversion of Common OP Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion of Common OP Units to common stock (in shares)																		29,886	443,158
Conversion of Common OP Units | Common OP Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion of Common OP Units to common stock (in shares)																		29,886	443,158
Series A-1 Preferred OP Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion of Common OP Units to common stock (in shares)																		25,884	38,363
Series A-1 Preferred OP Units | Common OP Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion of Common OP Units to common stock (in shares)																		10,614	15,732
NG Sun LLC [Member] | Sun NG RV Resorts [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Variable Interest Entity, Equity Interests Issued, Floating Rate																		5.00%
NG Sun LLC [Member] | Common Stock | Sun NG RV Resorts [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Variable Interest Entity, Equity Interests Issued | $										$ 6,500
Sun NG RV Resorts [Member] | Common Stock
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Variable Interest Entity, Equity Interests Issued | $										3,000
Sun NG RV Resorts [Member] | Common Stock | Sun NG RV Resorts [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Variable Interest Entity, Equity Interests Issued | $										$ 15,400
Forecast
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Proceeds from Issuance of Common Stock | $	$ 1,230,000
Jensen Communities [Domain] | Common OP Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Equity interest issued or issuable, number of shares (in shares)						1,972,876
Forest Springs | Common OP Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Equity interest issued or issuable, number of shares (in shares)			82,420

Equity and Temporary Equity, Co

Equity and Temporary Equity, Conversion of Stock (Details) - $ / shares	1 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	May 31, 2020	Feb. 28, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Temporary Equity, Dividends For Term Two, Percentage	3.00%
Conversion of Common OP Units
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion of units			29,886	443,158
Series A-1 Preferred OP Units
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion of units			25,884	38,363
Series A-4 preferred OP units
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion of units			0	2,092
Series A-4 Preferred Stock
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion of units			0	5,016
Series C preferred OP unit
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion of units			1,648	4,455
Series D Preferred OP Units
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Temporary Equity, Dividends For Term Two, Percentage		4.00%
Temporary Equity, Shares Issued		488,958
Temporary Equity, Issuance Price		$ 100
Common OP Units
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Temporary Equity, Shares Issued					180,277
Common OP Units | Conversion of Common OP Units
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion Rate			1
Conversion of units			29,886	443,158
Common OP Units | Series A-1 Preferred OP Units
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion Rate			2.4390
Conversion of units			10,614	15,732
Common OP Units | Series A-4 preferred OP units
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion Rate			0.4444
Conversion of units			0	4,708
Preferred Stock | Series A-4 Preferred Stock
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion Rate			0.4444
Conversion of units			0	11,288
Preferred Stock | Series C preferred OP unit
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Conversion Rate			1.1100
Conversion of units			1,485	4,014

Share-Based Compensation (Detai

Share-Based Compensation (Details)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019$ / sharesshares	Sep. 30, 2020numberOfPlans$ / sharesshares	Sep. 30, 2019$ / sharesshares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number Of Share-Based Compensation Plans | numberOfPlans		2
Share-based Compensation Arrangement By Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions, Percent Expected To Vest	75.10%	75.60%
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period | shares		256,380	223,781
Executive Officer [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting percentage		20.00%
Executive Officer [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting percentage		100.00%	100.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period		5 years
Director [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2004 Non-employee Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting percentage			100.00%
Time Based [Member] | Executive Officer [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted, shares (in shares) | shares			44,000
Weighted average grant date fair value | $ / shares			$ 115.39
Time Based [Member] | Director [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2004 Non-employee Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted, shares (in shares) | shares		10,200	18,000
Weighted average grant date fair value | $ / shares		$ 147.97	$ 113.68
Market Condition [Member] | Executive Officer [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted, shares (in shares) | shares	66,000	69,000	66,000
Weighted average grant date fair value | $ / shares		$ 125.47	$ 115.39
Common Stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share Price | $ / shares	$ 115.39	$ 165.97	$ 115.39
Award Date One [Member] | Director [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2004 Non-employee Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting percentage		100.00%
Award Date One [Member] | Key Employees [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting percentage		20.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period		5 years
Award Date One [Member] | Time Based [Member] | Key Employees [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted, shares (in shares) | shares		1,500
Weighted average grant date fair value | $ / shares		$ 143.20
Award Date Two [Member] | Key Employees [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting percentage		20.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period		5 years
Award Date Two [Member] | Time Based [Member] | Key Employees [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted, shares (in shares) | shares		51,790
Weighted average grant date fair value | $ / shares		$ 162.42
Award Date Three | Executive Officer [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting percentage		20.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period		5 years
Award Date Three | Time Based [Member] | Executive Officer [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted, shares (in shares) | shares		46,000
Weighted average grant date fair value | $ / shares		$ 165.97
Award Date Four | Key Employees [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting percentage		20.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period		5 years
Award Date Four | Time Based [Member] | Key Employees [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted, shares (in shares) | shares			55,770
Weighted average grant date fair value | $ / shares			$ 120.01
Award Date Five | Key Employees [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting percentage		20.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period		5 years
Award Date Five | Time Based [Member] | Key Employees [Member] | Restricted Stock [Member] | 2015 Equity Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted, shares (in shares) | shares			6,000
Weighted average grant date fair value | $ / shares			$ 142.03

Segment Reporting Segment Repor

Segment Reporting Segment Reporting, Seasonality (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020USD ($)segment	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments | segment	2
Real Property Operations Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Expected annual transient RV revenue | $	$ 25.3	$ 121.5				$ 60.5	$ 21
Transient RV rental revenue recognized as a percentage		16.40%	40.30%	23.20%	20.10%

Segment Reporting Results of Op

Segment Reporting Results of Operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended						9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue From Home Sales	$ 400,514			$ 362,443			$ 1,014,082	$ 962,218
Brokerage commissions and other revenues, net	5,881			5,002			13,068	11,190
Home selling expenses	(3,652)			(3,972)			(10,508)	(10,922)
General and administrative expenses	(27,243)			(22,946)			(79,493)	(68,530)
Catastrophic weather related charges	(14)			(341)			(54)	(1,302)
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)	0			(12,755)			(5,209)	(13,478)
Interest on mandatorily redeemable preferred OP units / equity	(1,047)			(1,216)			(3,130)	(3,491)
Gain / (loss) on remeasurement of marketable securities (see Note 14)	1,492			12,661			(2,636)	16,548
Gain / (loss) on foreign currency translation	4,664			(3,046)			(2,441)	35
Gain on disposition of property	5,595			0			5,595	0
Other expense, net	(2,524)			(1,362)			(3,378)	(1,524)
Loss on Remeasurement of Notes Receivable	(445)			0			(2,311)	0
Distributions from Affiliate	1,204			513			1,348	1,380
Loss on Remeasurement of Investment	(446)			0			(1,505)	0
Deferred tax benefit / (expense) (see Note 12)	562			(349)			804	36
Net Income	89,756			64,451			137,633	146,694
Less: Preferred return to Series A-1 preferred OP units	1,645			1,599			4,799	4,640
Less: Amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests	6,907			5,422			8,806	9,048
Net Income Attributable to Sun Communities, Inc.	81,204	$ 63,655	$ (14,283)	57,430	$ 45,101	$ 36,949	124,028	133,006
Less: Preferred stock distributions	0			(428)			0	(1,288)
Net Income Attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. Common Stockholders	81,204			57,002			124,028	131,718
Real Property Operations Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue From Home Sales	336,681			298,194			840,692	782,726
Net Income	96,812			69,471			159,920	159,517
Less: Preferred return to Series A-1 preferred OP units	1,645			1,599			4,799	4,640
Less: Amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests	7,194			5,642			9,722	9,641
Net Income Attributable to Sun Communities, Inc.	87,973			62,230			145,399	145,236
Less: Preferred stock distributions	0			(428)			0	(1,288)
Net Income Attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. Common Stockholders	87,973			61,802			145,399	143,948
Home Sales and Home Rentals Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue From Home Sales	63,833			64,249			173,390	179,492
Net Income	(7,056)			(5,020)			(22,287)	(12,823)
Less: Preferred return to Series A-1 preferred OP units	0			0			0	0
Less: Amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests	(287)			(220)			(916)	(593)
Net Income Attributable to Sun Communities, Inc.	(6,769)			(4,800)			(21,371)	(12,230)
Less: Preferred stock distributions	0			0			0	0
Net Income Attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. Common Stockholders	(6,769)			(4,800)			(21,371)	(12,230)
Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue From Home Sales	392,009			352,671			993,405	936,539
Operating expenses / Cost of sales	170,298			156,008			419,558	404,163
Operating Income (Loss), Total	221,711			196,663			573,847	532,376
Operating Segments [Member] | Real Property Operations Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue From Home Sales	328,176			288,422			820,015	757,047
Operating expenses / Cost of sales	128,112			113,246			307,980	287,680
Operating Income (Loss), Total	200,064			175,176			512,035	469,367
Operating Segments [Member] | Home Sales and Home Rentals Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue From Home Sales	63,833			64,249			173,390	179,492
Operating expenses / Cost of sales	42,186			42,762			111,578	116,483
Operating Income (Loss), Total	21,647			21,487			61,812	63,009
Segment Reconciling Items [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Interest income	2,624			4,770			7,609	14,489
Brokerage commissions and other revenues, net	5,881			5,002			13,068	11,190
Home selling expenses	(3,652)			(3,972)			(10,508)	(10,922)
General and administrative expenses	(27,243)			(22,946)			(79,493)	(68,530)
Catastrophic weather related charges	(14)			(341)			(54)	(1,302)
Depreciation and amortization	(88,499)			(76,532)			(259,453)	(229,241)
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)	0			(12,755)			(5,209)	(13,478)
Interest expense	(30,214)			(32,219)			(94,058)	(99,894)
Interest on mandatorily redeemable preferred OP units / equity	(1,047)			(1,216)			(3,130)	(3,491)
Gain / (loss) on remeasurement of marketable securities (see Note 14)	1,492			12,661			(2,636)	16,548
Gain / (loss) on foreign currency translation	4,664			(3,046)			(2,441)	35
Gain on disposition of property	5,595			0			5,595	0
Other expense, net	(2,524)			(1,362)			(3,378)	(1,524)
Loss on Remeasurement of Notes Receivable	(445)			0			(2,311)	0
Distributions from Affiliate	1,204			513			1,348	1,380
Loss on Remeasurement of Investment	(446)			0			(1,505)	0
Current tax benefit / (expense)	107			(420)			(462)	(906)
Deferred tax benefit / (expense) (see Note 12)	562			(349)			804	(36)
Segment Reconciling Items [Member] | Real Property Operations Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Interest income	2,624			4,770			7,609	14,489
Brokerage commissions and other revenues, net	5,881			5,002			13,068	11,190
Home selling expenses	0			0			0	0
General and administrative expenses	(23,589)			(19,966)			(70,600)	(59,922)
Catastrophic weather related charges	(14)			(341)			(54)	(1,294)
Depreciation and amortization	(66,497)			(56,568)			(195,392)	(171,867)
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)	0			(12,755)			(5,209)	(13,478)
Interest expense	(30,209)			(32,214)			(94,039)	(99,880)
Interest on mandatorily redeemable preferred OP units / equity	(1,047)			(1,216)			(3,130)	(3,491)
Gain / (loss) on remeasurement of marketable securities (see Note 14)	1,492			12,661			(2,636)	16,548
Gain / (loss) on foreign currency translation	4,658			(3,045)			(2,438)	33
Gain on disposition of property	5,595			0			5,595	0
Other expense, net	(2,524)			(1,356)			(3,379)	(1,513)
Loss on Remeasurement of Notes Receivable	(445)			0			(2,311)	0
Distributions from Affiliate	0			0			0	0
Loss on Remeasurement of Investment	0			0			0	0
Current tax benefit / (expense)	261			(328)			(3)	(629)
Deferred tax benefit / (expense) (see Note 12)	562			(349)			804	(36)
Segment Reconciling Items [Member] | Home Sales and Home Rentals Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Interest income	0			0			0	0
Brokerage commissions and other revenues, net	0			0			0	0
Home selling expenses	(3,652)			(3,972)			(10,508)	(10,922)
General and administrative expenses	(3,654)			(2,980)			(8,893)	(8,608)
Catastrophic weather related charges	0			0			0	(8)
Depreciation and amortization	(22,002)			(19,964)			(64,061)	(57,374)
Loss on extinguishment of debt (see Note 8)	0			0			0	0
Interest expense	(5)			(5)			(19)	(14)
Interest on mandatorily redeemable preferred OP units / equity	0			0			0	0
Gain / (loss) on remeasurement of marketable securities (see Note 14)	0			0			0	0
Gain / (loss) on foreign currency translation	6			(1)			(3)	2
Gain on disposition of property	0			0			0	0
Other expense, net	0			(6)			1	(11)
Loss on Remeasurement of Notes Receivable	0			0			0	0
Distributions from Affiliate	1,204			513			1,348	1,380
Loss on Remeasurement of Investment	(446)			0			(1,505)	0
Current tax benefit / (expense)	(154)			(92)			(459)	(277)
Deferred tax benefit / (expense) (see Note 12)	$ 0			$ 0			$ 0	$ 0

Segment Reporting Identifiable

Segment Reporting Identifiable Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting, Asset Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Investment property, net	$ 7,647,469	$ 7,232,620
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	115,529	34,830	$ 41,726	$ 62,262
Marketable securities	107,083	94,727
Inventory of manufactured homes	48,130	62,061
Notes and other receivables, net	191,508	157,926
Other assets	225,998	219,896
Total Assets	8,335,717	7,802,060
Real Property Operations Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting, Asset Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Investment property, net	7,040,869	6,651,275
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	37,400	(8,346)
Marketable securities	107,083	94,727
Inventory of manufactured homes	0	0
Notes and other receivables, net	173,090	142,509
Other assets	159,142	167,804
Total Assets	7,517,584	7,047,969
Home Sales and Home Rentals Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting, Asset Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Investment property, net	606,600	581,345
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	78,129	43,176
Marketable securities	0	0
Inventory of manufactured homes	48,130	62,061
Notes and other receivables, net	18,418	15,417
Other assets	66,856	52,092
Total Assets	$ 818,133	$ 754,091

Income Taxes , Narrative (Detai

Income Taxes , Narrative (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Minimum Percent of Income From Qualifying Sources to Allow For Real Estate Investment Trust Classification			9500.00%
Required Minimum Percent of Taxable Income Distributed to Stock Holders			9000.00%
Unrecognized Tax Benefits	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Provision for state income taxes	100,000	400,000	500,000	900,000
Deferred tax benefit / (expense) (see Note 12)	(562,000)	$ 349,000	(804,000)	$ (36,000)
Foreign Tax Authority [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Gross	$ 19,300,000		$ 19,300,000
Domestic Tax Authority [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Gross					$ 21,000,000

Earnings Per Share , Calculatio

Earnings Per Share , Calculation of Numerator and Denominator (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Numerator
Net Income Attributable to Sun Communities, Inc. Common Stockholders	$ 81,204	$ 57,002	$ 124,028	$ 131,718
Less: allocation to restricted stock awards	536	437	821	1,020
Basic earnings - Net income attributable to common stockholders after allocation to restricted stock awards	80,668	56,565	123,207	130,698
Add allocation to restricted stock awards	0	437	0	0
Diluted earnings - Net income attributable to common stockholders after allocation to restricted stock awards	$ 80,668	$ 57,002	$ 123,207	$ 130,698
Denominator
Weighted average common shares outstanding	97,542,000	89,847,000	95,270,000	87,499,000
Add: dilutive common share from forward sale	6,000	0	2,000	0
Add: dilutive stock options	1,000	1,000	1,000	1,000
Add: dilutive restricted stock	0	484,000	0	0
Diluted weighted average common shares and securities	97,549,000	90,332,000	95,273,000	87,500,000
Basic earnings per share (see Note 13)	$ 0.83	$ 0.63	$ 1.29	$ 1.49
Diluted earnings per share (see Note 13)	$ 0.83	$ 0.63	$ 1.29	$ 1.49

Earnings Per Share , Antidiluti

Earnings Per Share , Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Loss Per Share (Details) - shares shares in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share	5,335	6,179
Common OP Units
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share	2,473	2,282
Series A-1 Preferred OP Units
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share	299	316
Series D Preferred OP Units
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share	489	489
Series A-3 Preferred OP Units [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share	40	40
Series A-4 preferred OP units
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share	0	406
Series A-4 Preferred Stock
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share	0	1,052
Series C preferred OP unit
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share	309	310
Aspen Preferred OP Units [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share	1,284	1,284
Series E Preferred OP Units [Domain]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share	90	0
Series F Preferred OP Units
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share	90	0
Series G Preferred OP Units
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share	261	0

Fair Value of Financial Instr_3

Fair Value of Financial Instruments , By Balance Sheet Grouping (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Financial assets
Notes and other receivables, net	$ 191,508	$ 157,926
Notes Receivable, Fair Value Disclosure	51,487	18,960
Financial liabilities
Secured debt	3,191,380	3,180,592
Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net
Financial assets
Notes and other receivables, net	88,327	95,580
Reported Value Measurement
Financial liabilities
Debt (excluding secured borrowings)	3,261,292	3,250,504
Lines of credit	79,321	183,898
Other liabilities (contingent consideration)	6,828	6,134
Financial Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	3,347,441	3,440,536
Reported Value Measurement | Fair Value, Recurring
Financial assets
Financial Assets Fair Value Disclosure	246,897	209,267
Reported Value Measurement | Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net
Financial assets
Notes and other receivables, net		95,580
Reported Value Measurement | Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net | Fair Value, Recurring
Financial assets
Notes and other receivables, net	88,327
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement | Fair Value, Recurring
Financial assets
Financial Assets Fair Value Disclosure	246,897	209,267
Financial liabilities
Debt (excluding secured borrowings)	3,306,279	3,270,544
Lines of credit	79,321	183,898
Other liabilities (contingent consideration)	6,828	6,134
Financial Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	3,392,428	3,460,576
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement | Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, net | Fair Value, Recurring
Financial assets
Notes and other receivables, net	88,327	95,580
Marketable Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Recurring
Financial assets
Marketable securities	107,083	94,727	$ 49,037
Marketable Securities [Member] | Reported Value Measurement | Fair Value, Recurring
Financial assets
Marketable securities	107,083	94,727
Marketable Securities [Member] | Estimate of Fair Value Measurement | Fair Value, Recurring
Financial assets
Marketable securities	$ 107,083	$ 94,727

Fair Value of Financial Instr_4

Fair Value of Financial Instruments Marketable Securities (Details) - Marketable Securities [Member] - Fair Value, Recurring - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Investment, Additional Purchase	$ 11,757	$ 8,995
Beginning Balance	94,727	49,037
Ending Balance	107,083	94,727
Investment, Fair Value Adjustment	(2,636)	34,240
Investment, Foreign Current Translation Adjustment	1,264	816
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Dividend Reinvestment Plan	$ 1,971	$ 1,639

Leases - Future Minimum Lease P

Leases - Future Minimum Lease Payments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, Payment, Due [Abstract]
2020 (Excluding nine months ended September 30, 2020)	$ 821
2020	2,842
2021	2,863
2022	2,993
2023	3,300
Thereafter	32,774
Total Lease Payments	45,593
Less: Imputed interest	(20,218)
Present Value of Lease Liabilities	25,375	$ 24,222
Finance Lease, Liability, Payment, Due [Abstract]
2020 (Excluding nine months ended September 30, 2020)	97
2020	120
2021	120
2022	120
2023	4,060
Thereafter	0
Total Lease Payments	4,517
Less: Imputed interest	(382)
Present Value of Lease Liabilities	4,135
Operating And Finance Leases, Liability, Payments, Due Year Two	2,962
Operating And Finance Leases, Liability, Payments, Due Year Three	2,983
Operating And Finance Leases, Liability, Payments, Due Year Four	3,113
Operating And Finance Leases, Liability, Payments, Due Year Five	7,360
Operating And Finance Leases, Liability, Payments, Due after Year Five	32,774
Operating And Finance Leases, Liability, Payments, Remainder of Fiscal Year	918
Operating And Finance Leases, Liability, Payment, Due	50,110
Operating And Finance Leases, Liability, Undiscounted Excess Amount	(20,600)
Operating And Finance Leases, Liability	$ 29,510

Leases - Additional Information

Leases - Additional Information (Details) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)ft²$ / sqft	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating lease liability | $	$ 25,375	$ 24,222
Finance lease liability | $	$ 4,135
American Center
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Area of rentable real estate property | ft²	20,087
CEO | American Center
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Ownership percentage	28.10%
Area of rentable real estate property | ft²	103,100
Gross base rent (USD per sqft) | $ / sqft	18.95

Leases - Lease Expense (Details

Leases - Lease Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Amortization of right - of-use assets	$ (18)	$ (18)	$ (54)	$ (55)
Interest on lease liabilities	26	26	77	77
Operating lease cost	973	794	2,925	2,598
Total lease expense	1,412	1,270	4,168	3,834
Operating cash flow used for operating leases			1,836	1,504
Financing cash flow used for finance leases			23	23
Capital Leased Assets, Gross	4,135		4,135		$ 4,081
Right of use asset obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities			24,365		23,751
Amortization of above and below Market Leases	$ 27,802		$ 27,802		28,366
Weighted - average remaining lease term - finance leases (in years)	3 years 9 months		3 years 9 months
Weighted - average remaining lease term - operating leases (in years)	25 years 11 months 19 days		25 years 11 months 19 days
Weighted - average discount rate - finance leases (annual)	2.50%		2.50%
Weighted - average discount rate - operating leases (annual)	4.12%		4.12%
Present Value of Lease Liabilities	$ 4,135		$ 4,135
Capital Lease Obligations	4,135		4,135		4,081
Present Value of Lease Liabilities	25,375		25,375		$ 24,222
Operating And Finance Lease, Payments			1,859	1,527
Below Market Leases
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Variable lease expense	$ 431	$ 468	$ 1,220	$ 1,214

Recent Accounting Pronounceme_2

Recent Accounting Pronouncements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Adjustments to Additional Paid in Capital, Fair Value		$ 0.3
Notes Receivable [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Adjustments to Additional Paid in Capital, Fair Value	$ 1.6

Subsequent Event (Details)

Subsequent Event (Details) $ in Thousands	Jul. 01, 2020USD ($)development_site	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019sites
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Cash paid for RV community acquired		$ 426,461	$ 244,551
Number of MH sites (in sites) | sites				201
Countryside Village
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Number of MH sites (in sites) | development_site	226
Consideration received	$ 12,600

Uncategorized Items - sui-20200

Label	Element	Value
Collateralized receivables, net and Installment Notes Receivables on Manufactured Homes [Member]
Financing Receivable, before Allowance for Credit Loss	us-gaap_NotesReceivableGross	$ 697,000
Installment notes receivable on manufactured homes, gross [Member]
Financing Receivable, before Allowance for Credit Loss	us-gaap_NotesReceivableGross	$ 113,495,000