How to Run a Strata AGM: A Step-by-Step Guide

What an AGM actually needs to achieve

The Annual General Meeting is where owners elect the committee, consider the budget, and vote on any motions that need approval from the wider ownership rather than just the committee. Notice periods, quorum requirements and voting thresholds vary between states, so always check your own jurisdiction's rules — this guide covers the practical steps that are common across most schemes.

1. Set the date and lock in the agenda early

Start well before the legislative notice period. Draft the agenda with standing items — minutes of the last AGM, financial statements, insurance, committee elections, motions — plus anything owners have flagged during the year. A messy, late agenda is the single biggest cause of a chaotic AGM.

2. Issue notice within the required period

Every state sets a minimum notice period for AGMs, and the notice must go to every owner on the roll, generally by the method your by-laws or legislation allow (post, email if agreed, or a combination). Include:

• Date, time and location (or virtual meeting details)
• The full agenda and the wording of any motions
• Proxy forms and instructions if allowed in your state
• Financial statements or the current budget, where required

3. Collect and record proxies correctly

Proxies let an owner who can't attend appoint someone else to vote for them. Get this wrong and you risk votes being challenged later. Keep to the basics:

• Use the correct form and check any limits on how many proxies one person can hold
• Record proxies against the lot they represent, not just a name
• Confirm proxy validity before the meeting starts, not partway through a vote

4. Confirm quorum before you start

Quorum is the minimum number of owners (in person or by proxy) needed for the meeting to validly proceed. If quorum isn't met, most schemes have rules for adjourning to a later date, sometimes with a reduced quorum requirement on the second attempt. Check the number before opening the meeting, not after a vote is challenged.

5. Work through motions in order

Ordinary business

Confirm the previous AGM's minutes, receive the financial statements, and deal with insurance and any standing reports.

Elections

Call for nominations for the committee, take a vote if there is more than one candidate for a position, and record who is elected to which role.

Special and unanimous resolutions

Some motions — by-law changes, certain spending, or structural works — need a higher threshold than an ordinary resolution. Know in advance which of your motions need special or unanimous resolution and make sure the wording on the notice matches what's actually voted on.

6. Record the vote accurately

For every motion, record:

• The exact wording voted on
• The result (for, against, abstain) and whether it passed as ordinary, special or unanimous
• Any amendments made from the floor before the vote

7. Close the meeting and write minutes promptly

Minutes should be drafted as close to the meeting as possible while memory is fresh, then reviewed and distributed to all owners. Waiting weeks to write up an AGM is how details get lost and disputes start.

Common AGM mistakes to avoid

• Sending notice late, or without the full text of motions
• Not checking quorum before starting
• Allowing debate on a motion that wasn't properly noticed
• Losing track of which proxies were used for which vote
• Minutes that record outcomes but not the actual wording of what was resolved

How Flex Strata helps run the meeting itself

Flex Strata's meetings tools let you build the agenda, record motions as ordinary, special or unanimous, capture proxies against the right lot, and draft minutes during the meeting rather than reconstructing them from memory afterwards. If a decision can't wait for the next AGM, a ballot lets owners vote securely from a link between meetings, with the same audit trail.

After the AGM

Distribute minutes to all owners, update your compliance register with any new due dates the meeting created (a new insurance renewal, a works deadline), and make sure the newly elected committee can see the full meeting history — not just the minutes of the meeting that elected them.