How do you organise a general meeting for your building?

But how do you organise a general meeting for your association without the hassle?#

A smooth general meeting starts with a timely invitation, a clear agenda and correct rules on voting and attendance. In this article, you will read exactly whom you need to invite, what must be on the agenda and how to organise the meeting in line with the law, from invitation to minutes.

Why is a general meeting important for an association of co-owners?#

The general meeting (GM) is the highest, and also the only, decision-making body within the association of co-owners (VME). This is where co-owners decide on:

• The annual accounts and the budget
• Maintenance and works in and on the building
• The insurance policies and the contracts
• The (re)appointment of the syndic
• Any changes to the regulations

The law requires one general meeting per year. Without that meeting, no legally valid decisions can be taken for your building. When the general meeting has to take place is laid down in the building's articles of the association.

Whom must you invite to the general meeting of an association of co-owners?#

Co-owners#

Every owner of a unit in the building is invited. Each owner may be assisted by one person. That can be useful when someone has trouble getting around, does not understand or speak the language of the meeting, or simply wants to bring someone along to help them follow everything. Just let the syndic know in good time.

Tenants#

Tenants do not take part in the general meeting and have no voting rights. They can, however, pass on their comments through their landlord.

Owners of a special form of ownership#

Sometimes a unit belongs to more than one person at the same time. Think of situations such as: one person has the usufruct and someone else the bare ownership, or a unit is owned by several family members. In that case, they appoint one representative who goes to the meeting and votes: the authorised representative. The authorised representative also receives all communication. This must be notified to the syndic in writing and signed.

Who runs the general meeting?#

At the start of the meeting, three roles are assigned:

The syndic

The syndic prepares the meeting, collects the proxies, explains the agenda items, checks attendance and counts the votes.

The chair

The chair makes sure the meeting runs properly and afterwards signs the minutes of the general meeting for approval. This can never be the syndic.

The secretary

The secretary takes notes and draws up the minutes of the general meeting. These minutes must be signed by the chair and the secretary on the same day as the meeting.

How do you convene a general meeting of an association of co-owners correctly?#

The (volunteer) syndic sends the invitation (in syndic jargon also the 'notice of meeting'):

• at least 15 days in advance
• by registered post, or by e-mail if owners have agreed in writing to a digital invitation

The invitation contains:

• date, time and place
• a complete, clear agenda
• any proxy forms
• information on how documents can be consulted

A notice that is too late or incomplete makes every decision invalid. You avoid this by keeping to the right timings.

Can a general meeting of an association of co-owners also be held online?#

Online meetings are allowed by law. They can be held fully online, or partly in person and partly online (a 'hybrid' meeting) Condition: the association of co-owners must agree to this in advance, or it must be set out in the regulations. Why hybrid meetings are becoming more and more popular:

More owners can attend

Someone who finishes work late, is ill or is on holiday can still join online. As a result, attendance is often higher.

Voting is clearer

Those who join online vote in the tool or by roll call. The chair does not have to count hands. Everyone votes neatly, one by one.

Less practical hassle for the syndic

No large hall needed, less paper, less logistics. And owners simply follow along remotely. Fully online is also possible, and today it is mostly preferred by smaller associations.

What do you put on the agenda of the general meeting?#

Only items that are on the agenda in advance may be discussed and voted on. Standard items:

• Approval of the statement of accounts
• Setting the budget
• Approval of the balance sheet
• Discharge for the syndic and the account auditor
• Evaluation of the current supplier contracts
• Appointment of an account auditor
• The (re)appointment of the syndic

Co-owners can submit other agenda items in advance. Preferably no later than 3 weeks before the start of the 15-day period within which the general meeting must take place. So stay alert as a syndic and make sure you ask the co-owners in good time whether they have any extra agenda items (= 36 (15+21) days before the actual date of the general meeting).

Do make every agenda item concrete enough.

• Not: "roof".
• But: "Decision on roof repair – choice between quote A and quote B"

That gives clarity and leads to faster decisions.

When are decisions of the general meeting valid?#

Voting#

Every co-owner holds a number of shares in the common parts of the building. In syndic jargon, that share is called your 'quota' (quotiteit) as a co-owner. The bigger your share, the more weight your vote carries. Before the meeting, the volunteer syndic checks whether this information is still up to date, for example when a unit in the building has been sold.

Proxies#

Can't attend the meeting yourself? Then you may appoint someone else to vote in your place. You do this with a written proxy. You may send it in advance, but in any case it must reach the syndic before the meeting starts. You can give your proxy to anyone you choose: a co-owner, a neighbour, a family member, someone from outside the building or even your tenant. Only the syndic may not accept proxies. To keep the meeting balanced, one important limit applies:

• a person may accept at most three proxies,
• unless those proxies together represent less than 10% of all voting rights.

So a proxy is a handy way to still have a say, but it is clearly limited. Are you giving someone a proxy? Then also pass on your opinion on specific agenda items. That way, your proxy holder can represent your position(s) correctly during the meeting.

Attendance#

A general meeting always goes ahead on the planned date. But the decisions of a first general meeting are only valid when more than half of the co-owners or their representatives are present and those present together represent at least 50%+1 of the shares (quotas).

Or when the owners present together hold or represent 75% or more of the shares. Then the decisions are still valid and the condition on the number of owners present no longer applies. In syndic jargon, this is called the "three-quarters rule".

Is the required minimum representation (the 'quorum') not reached? Then you may still meet and discuss, but the decisions are not valid. In that case, a second general meeting must be held. There must be at least 15 calendar days between the first and the second meeting. At that second meeting, the decisions are always valid. It does not matter how many owners are present or how many shares they represent.

Which legal majorities apply at a general meeting?#

Not every decision needs the same majority for your association. The law works with fixed thresholds, and these are calculated on the basis of the shares represented at the meeting (the 'quotas').

• Simple majority (more than 50%+1 of the shares present): For day-to-day running, the annual accounts, the budget and smaller works.
• Two-thirds majority: For works or changes to the common parts, such as a roof renovation, chimney renovations, redoing the car park, etc.
• Four-fifths majority: For changes to the articles, the cost allocation, the purpose of the building, splitting/merging units, etc.
• Unanimity (everyone agrees): For sensitive interventions such as changing the quotas or the complete demolition and rebuilding of the building. If a general meeting does not reach a unanimous vote because one or more owners are absent, a new general meeting is convened after a period of at least thirty calendar days.

How do you calculate that majority in practice during the general meeting?#

For each vote, you record three things: the number of votes in favour, who votes against (by name) and who abstains (by name). Then, for each group, you add up the shares (quotas) they represent. In concrete terms:

• how many shares do the votes "in favour" represent?
• how many shares do the votes "against" represent?
• how many shares do the abstentions represent?

The total number of shares represented determines whether the required majority has been reached. So you compare the quota percentage of the votes in favour (the proportion of the represented shares that votes in favour) with the threshold that applies to that decision.

This does not have to be complicated: with a correct attendance list and the right quotas, you can count every vote properly as a volunteer syndic. And do you work with Synt? Then the percentages are calculated automatically and you see straight away whether the majority has been reached (see above).

What is in the minutes of your association's general meeting?#

Within 30 days, the syndic sends the minutes to all co-owners. The minutes contain:

• those present and those represented
• all decisions
• all voting results
• relevant comments or action points

As a volunteer syndic, how do you make sure the decisions are carried out?#

After the general meeting, the real work begins. The syndic then starts with:

• requesting quotes
• planning and following up works
• managing payments
• clear and regular communication with the co-owners

Common mistakes at a general meeting for your association#

These mistakes are very common, and as a volunteer syndic you can avoid them with good preparation:

• sending the invitation too late
• adding agenda items on the spot
• incorrect vote counts
• delivering incomplete or confusing minutes
• leaving decisions unacted on

So for a smooth general meeting, you need three things#

1. 1 Good preparation: invitation, agenda, voting rights and proxies
2. 2 Organisation: check the quorum, vote clearly, record everything correctly
3. 3 Follow-up: pick up and carry out decisions on time and keep owners informed

It doesn't have to be complicated. If you know the rules, as a volunteer syndic you can easily keep track of everything. Or get support from user-friendly software that helps you with all of this (Synt, for example 😉)!