Evacuation Diagrams for Apartments and Residential AU

Apartment buildings and residential towers are classified as Class 2 buildings under the National Construction Code. An owner-occupied or long-term rented apartment generally needs no evacuation diagram inside the unit, so the work is in the common areas. AS 3745 is a standard, not a law in most states, and it sets no fixed number of diagrams, so the set below is common practice rather than a legal minimum.

This guide covers who is responsible for what in residential buildings.

Common Area Diagram Requirements

AS 3745 asks for diagrams where occupants and visitors will see them and leaves the number and positions to the building's emergency planning committee (in practice the body corporate, owners corporation or building manager). Under the model WHS laws, a residential-only owners corporation with no employees may not even have an emergency-plan duty; shared commercial common areas or an employed caretaker change that.

The usual set is one at each level's lift lobby plus the ground foyer and the car park, with more where residents gather:

• Main lobby and entrance foyer
• Lift lobby on each residential level
• Where a level has no lift lobby, the corridor point every resident passes on the way to the fire stair
• Basement and above-ground car park pedestrian entry points
• Pool, gym, sauna, and recreation areas
• Mail room and parcel collection areas
• BBQ areas and rooftop terraces if enclosed or semi-enclosed
• Building manager office and maintenance areas

Do Individual Apartments Need Diagrams?

For owner-occupied and long-term rental apartments, there is generally no legal requirement for an evacuation diagram inside the unit. Residents are assumed to know their own apartment layout, and Queensland's in-unit rule (below) excludes units occupied by an owner or tenant.

However, diagrams inside apartments are required or strongly recommended when:

• The unit is used for short-term accommodation (Airbnb, Stayz, Booking.com), required by law in Queensland and NSW
• The building fire safety management plan specifies in-unit diagrams
• The body corporate has adopted a policy requiring them
• The building is classified as Class 3 (serviced apartments) rather than Class 2 (residential)

Short-Term Rental (Airbnb) Requirements

If apartments in your building are used for short-term letting, guests are in the same position as hotel guests: they do not know the building layout.

In Queensland, the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 (s 48) requires an evacuation sign inside every unit let to short-stay guests. In NSW, the Short-term Rental Accommodation Fire Safety Standard requires an evacuation diagram on or next to the entry door and in each bedroom. Elsewhere it is best practice:

• Display the diagram on the wall beside the entry door, not on the door: apartment entry doors in Class 2 buildings are usually fire doors, and FPA Australia advises against fixing diagrams to them unless the fixing has been tested or approved
• Show the floor plan of the level with the apartment location marked
• Show the nearest fire stair and alternative exit route
• Include the assembly area location
• Include 000 and building management contact numbers
• In NSW, make each diagram at least A4 and mount it 1200 to 1600 mm above the floor

High-Rise Residential Buildings

Tall residential buildings (over 25 metres, approximately 8 stories) have additional requirements:

• Fire stairs may serve different floor ranges (not all stairs go to every floor)
• Diagrams must clearly show which stairs serve which floors
• Warden intercommunication points (WIP) must be shown if the building has them
• Fire control room or panel location must be shown on ground floor diagrams
• Refuge areas for people with disabilities should be identified where the building has them
• Cladding-affected buildings may have modified evacuation procedures

Resident Communication

Unlike workplaces where regular drills occur, residential buildings rely more on passive communication:

• Clear, well-maintained diagrams in common areas are the primary safety communication
• Welcome packs for new residents should include fire safety information
• Annual reminders from the body corporate about emergency procedures
• Some buildings conduct voluntary evacuation familiarisation sessions
• Building managers should brief new residents on fire stair locations and assembly area

Get Residential Building Evacuation Diagrams

EvacPath creates evacuation diagrams for apartment buildings and residential complexes across Australia. We handle multi-floor buildings with different diagram requirements per level, including lift lobbies, fire stairs, car parks, and amenity areas.

Volume pricing available for buildings requiring 9 or more diagrams. Print-ready PDFs delivered in 3 to 5 business days. Pricing starts at A$70 per diagram.