When do we need an EGM instead of waiting for the AGM?

Not every decision fits neatly into an annual cycle, and legislation in every state provides a mechanism for calling a meeting outside the AGM when something genuinely can't wait.

When an EGM is typically needed

• An urgent building issue requiring owner approval for expenditure beyond the committee's authority
• A dispute or compliance matter with a deadline that falls before the next AGM
• A required number of owners requisitioning a meeting on a specific matter, which most states' legislation allows for

Notice and process

An EGM generally still needs to meet the same statutory notice period, quorum and resolution requirements as an AGM — it's simply held outside the annual cycle rather than following a lighter process. Rushing notice because a matter feels urgent is a common way EGM resolutions end up challenged later.

Alternatives to an EGM

For decisions that need to happen faster than even a properly noticed EGM allows, or where calling a full meeting is disproportionate to the decision, a ballot between meetings can often achieve a valid resolution more quickly while still keeping a full voting record — provided the resolution type needed suits a ballot process under your scheme's rules.

Weighing up the options

Before calling an EGM, it's worth asking whether the matter genuinely needs a formal meeting, or whether a ballot or a Committee Hub discussion followed by a decision within the committee's existing spending authority would resolve it faster without unnecessary formality. Reserve EGMs for matters that need owner-level authority and genuinely can't wait for the AGM.