Before the meeting
- 1
Fix the date and check the notice period
The bylaws state a minimum notice, commonly 10 to 30 days. Count backwards from the meeting date and send early — late notice invalidates whatever is decided.
- 2
Publish a specific agenda
Owners can only be bound by items they were told about. 'Any other business' cannot carry a budget, a special assessment or a bylaw change.
- 3
Circulate the papers in advance
Accounts, proposed budget, quotes for anything being voted on, and last year's minutes. Decisions taken by owners who saw the numbers are far harder to contest.
- 4
Send proxy forms with the notice
In small buildings proxies are usually what gets you to quorum. State clearly how many proxies one person may hold, if the bylaws limit it.
On the day
- Take attendance and collect proxies before starting; record the ownership share present.
- Establish quorum and note it in the minutes before any vote.
- Take each agenda item in order, state the exact wording being voted, then record for, against and abstentions.
- Note the majority rule applied to each vote — simple majority, majority of all owners, or a supermajority for structural matters.
After the meeting
- Distribute the minutes to every owner, including those absent, within the period the bylaws set.
- Record decisions somewhere durable and searchable, not just in a PDF attachment.
- Put every action item on a date with an owner's name against it.
If you do not reach quorum
Do not proceed and hope. Close the meeting, record the failure, and reconvene under whatever second-call rule the bylaws provide — many allow a lower threshold on the second attempt. Voting without quorum produces decisions that any owner can have set aside.
Questions fréquentes
What notice do we have to give for an annual meeting?
Whatever the bylaws specify — typically 10 to 30 days, sometimes longer for budget or amendment items. The statutory minimum in your jurisdiction applies if the bylaws are silent.
How is quorum calculated?
Usually by ownership interest present in person or by proxy, not by headcount. Check whether your documents use units, percentage interest or thousandths, and count consistently.
Can we hold the meeting online?
Most jurisdictions now allow virtual or hybrid meetings if the bylaws do not prohibit it and every owner can participate and vote. Say in the notice how to join and how voting will be taken.