--- title: "Evacuation Diagrams for Real Estate and Pro Offices AU" description: "Real estate agencies, accounting firms, law offices, and other professional service offices need AS 3745 compliant evacuation diagrams. Learn the requirements for small to mid-size office tenancies." canonical: https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagrams-for-real-estate-professional-offices source: https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagrams-for-real-estate-professional-offices --- # Evacuation Diagrams for Real Estate and Pro Offices AU > Real estate agencies, accounting firms, law offices, and other professional service offices need AS 3745 compliant evacuation diagrams. Learn the requirements for small to mid-size office tenancies. _EvacPath Team · 2026-04-22 · 6 min read_ Real estate agencies, accounting firms, law offices, financial planners, insurance brokers, and other professional service businesses are among the most common commercial tenants in Australia. They occupy everything from standalone shopfronts to floors within multi-storey office towers. Despite being perceived as low-risk environments, these offices are not exempt from the requirement to have compliant evacuation diagrams under [AS 3745](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagram-requirements-australia):2010. Many small professional offices operate under the assumption that evacuation planning is only for large companies or high-risk industries. This is incorrect. Every workplace in Australia that has employees, clients, or visitors needs an Emergency Management Plan and evacuation diagrams. A real estate agency with 5 staff and a reception area has the same fundamental obligation as a 500-person corporate headquarters. ## Why Professional Offices Need Evacuation Diagrams Professional offices may seem like low-hazard environments, but fires can and do occur. Electrical faults in ageing building wiring, overloaded power boards, faulty air conditioning units, and kitchen appliances (toasters, microwaves, kettles) in staff kitchenettes are common ignition sources. Paper files, cardboard storage boxes, and furniture provide fuel. In a real estate agency, large window displays with spotlighting and electrical signage add additional ignition points. Beyond fire, professional offices face other emergency scenarios: gas leaks (in buildings with gas hot water or heating), bomb threats, medical emergencies, and building-wide evacuations triggered by incidents in neighbouring tenancies. The evacuation diagram provides the baseline spatial orientation that staff and visitors need during any of these events. Professional offices also regularly host clients and visitors who are unfamiliar with the building layout. A client attending a settlement meeting at a law firm, or a property buyer visiting a real estate agency, needs to be able to find the exit without staff assistance if an alarm sounds. The evacuation diagram posted in the reception or meeting room provides this information. ## Single-Tenancy Shopfronts Many real estate agencies and small professional offices occupy ground-floor shopfronts in suburban strip centres. These tenancies are typically 50 to 150 square metres, with a glass shopfront at the front and a rear wall backing onto a service lane or car park. The evacuation diagram for a shopfront tenancy should show the main entrance (shopfront door), any rear exit, the location of firefighting equipment (extinguisher, fire blanket), manual call points if present, and the designated assembly area. For a strip centre tenancy, the assembly area is usually the footpath or car park on the opposite side of the road from the building. If the tenancy has a rear exit, it should be usable from the inside without a key during business hours. Many shopfront tenancies have a rear door that is deadlocked, which defeats its purpose as an emergency exit. The evacuation diagram should show the rear exit and the Emergency Management Plan should require that it be unlocked during occupied hours. - Glass shopfronts may shatter during a fire, creating both an exit option and a hazard - Rear exits in strip centres often lead to service lanes; show the route to the assembly area - Deadlocked rear doors must be unlockable from inside during business hours - Extinguisher and fire blanket locations must be shown, typically near the kitchenette - Window displays with spotlighting and electrical signage are potential ignition sources ## Office Suites in Multi-Storey Buildings Professional offices that occupy suites within multi-storey buildings (serviced offices, strata-titled suites, or leased floors) operate within the building's broader Emergency Management Plan. The individual tenancy needs its own evacuation diagram showing the layout of the suite and the route to the nearest fire stair, but this diagram must be consistent with the building-wide plan. The building owner or manager is typically responsible for the overall Emergency Management Plan, including fire stairs, common corridors, lifts, and assembly areas. The tenant is responsible for the diagram within their own tenancy and for ensuring their staff are trained in the building's emergency procedures. Tenants in multi-storey buildings should participate in the building's annual evacuation drill. The [Emergency Planning Committee](https://evacpath.com/blog/how-to-set-up-emergency-planning-committee) for the building should include tenant representatives. The tenancy evacuation diagram should reference the building's assembly area and include the building's emergency contact number (often the building manager or concierge). ## Home Offices and Small Serviced Offices The rise of remote work has led to more professional service businesses operating from home offices or small serviced office suites. The AS 3745 obligation applies to any premises where work is performed, but in practice, a sole practitioner working from a home office is unlikely to need a formal evacuation diagram for their house. The obligation becomes more relevant when clients visit the home office or when employees work from the premises. Serviced offices (coworking and hot-desk environments) are covered by the building operator's Emergency Management Plan. Tenants of serviced offices should familiarise themselves with the building's evacuation procedures and ensure that any staff who work from the serviced office know the location of exits and the assembly area. A separate tenancy diagram is generally not required for a single desk or small office within a serviced facility, as the building operator provides the diagrams. For professional offices that operate from converted residential properties (common for accountants, financial planners, and real estate agencies in suburban areas), the residential building may not have been designed with commercial egress requirements in mind. A building compliance assessment may be needed, and the evacuation diagram should reflect the actual available exits, even if they differ from what would be expected in a purpose-built commercial premises. ## Get Evacuation Diagrams for Your Professional Office EvacPath creates AS 3745-compliant evacuation diagrams for real estate agencies, accounting firms, law offices, financial planning practices, insurance brokers, and all types of professional service offices across Australia. Whether you operate from a shopfront, an office suite, or a converted residential premises, we can produce compliant diagrams from your floor plan. Send us your floor plan and we will deliver print-ready PDFs in 3 to 5 business days. No site visit required. Pricing starts at A$70 per diagram. Basic Package A$280 for up to 4 diagrams, Standard Package A$420 for up to 8 diagrams.