How to run a strata AGM that actually runs on time
By The stratai team
The annual general meeting is the one meeting every strata scheme has to hold each year. It is where the building approves its budget, sets levies, elects the committee, and signs off on insurance and major works. Run badly, an AGM drags for hours and the decisions made in it can be challenged later. Run well, it is a focused hour that leaves everyone clear on the year ahead.
The difference is almost always preparation. Here is how to run one that stays on time and stands up afterwards.
Get the notice right
The single most common reason an AGM decision gets challenged is a defective notice. Every state sets a minimum notice period and a list of what must be included, typically the agenda, the proposed budget and financials, and the full wording of any motion to be voted on. Send it to every owner, by the method they have nominated, and keep proof that you did.
If a motion is not on the notice, it generally cannot be voted on at the meeting. Decide the agenda before the notice goes out, not in the room.
Know your quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of owners who must be present or represented for the meeting to make valid decisions. If it is not met, the meeting cannot do business and has to be adjourned, which wastes everyone’s evening.
The fix is to make it easy to take part without attending in person. Encourage proxies and pre-meeting votes, and remind owners that turning up, even by proxy, is what lets the building set its own budget rather than defaulting.
Build an agenda that moves
A good AGM agenda follows a predictable order, so nobody is surprised and the meeting keeps pace:
- Confirm the minutes of the last meeting
- Present the financial statements for the year
- Approve the budget and set the levies
- Confirm insurance is current and adequate
- Elect the committee for the coming year
- Deal with any other motions on the notice
Handle voting cleanly
Most decisions are ordinary resolutions decided by a simple majority. Some, such as changing a by-law, need a special resolution with a higher threshold. Know which is which before the meeting, confirm who is entitled to vote, usually owners who are up to date on their levies, and record the count rather than a vague show of hands.
The minutes are the record
A decision that is not in the minutes may as well not have happened. Write them clearly, capture every resolution and the result, and distribute them to all owners promptly within the timeframe your state requires. The minutes are what the committee, the owners, and any future manager will rely on all year.
Where stratai fits
stratai sends the notice to every owner with tracked delivery, puts the budget and financials in front of owners before the meeting, and keeps the decisions and minutes in one place owners can see afterward. The meeting gets shorter because everyone walks in already informed.
If your AGMs still run on a notice emailed as an attachment and minutes nobody can find later, a walkthrough is the fastest way to see the difference. Book a demo.