AGMs and SGMs: The Two Meetings That Decide What a Strata Spends

Almost everything a strata decides that costs money happens at a general meeting. For a buyer, knowing how those meetings work turns a stack of minutes from paperwork into a picture of how a building is run.

The annual general meeting

The AGM is the yearly meeting where owners approve the budget, elect the strata council, and vote on resolutions.

Under section 40 of the Strata Property Act, an annual general meeting must be held no later than two months after the strata corporation's fiscal year end. That timing is worth noting, because it tells you roughly when the next budget conversation happens in the building you are buying into.

The AGM package is where the budget sits, and the budget is where you see what fees are doing and what contribution is going to the reserve. Our strata fees guide covers what those fees fund.

The special general meeting

An SGM is called between AGMs when a decision cannot wait for the next annual cycle.

Major repairs, special levies, and bylaw amendments commonly go to an SGM. Our special levies guide covers what happens when one is approved, and the bylaws guide covers the amendment process.

Section 43 of the Act gives owners a real mechanism here. Persons holding at least 20% of the strata corporation's votes may, by written demand, require the strata corporation to hold a special general meeting, and the meeting must be held within four weeks after the demand is given.

That matters to a buyer. An owner-demanded SGM in a building's history means a group of owners was frustrated enough to force the issue. Read why.

Notice periods

Section 45 requires at least two weeks' written notice of a general meeting. Where a resolution to wind up the strata corporation will be considered, at least four weeks' notice is required.

The notice package is not a formality. It contains the resolutions being voted on, which means it tells you exactly what the strata was about to decide. Our strata wind-up guide covers the four-week case and why it is treated differently.

What a 3/4 vote actually means

This threshold comes up constantly, so the definition is worth having precisely.

The Act defines a 3/4 vote as a vote in favour of a resolution by at least 3/4 of the votes cast by eligible voters who are present in person or by proxy at the time the vote is taken and who have not abstained from voting.

Note what that does not say. It is 3/4 of votes cast at the meeting, not 3/4 of all owners. A poorly attended meeting can pass a significant resolution with a modest number of actual owners behind it, which is one reason proxies matter. Our proxy voting guide covers how that works.

Significant changes to common property under section 71 and most bylaw amendments require a 3/4 vote, which is why alterations like balcony enclosures depend on a meeting rather than a form.

How to read the minutes as a buyer

This is the part that pays off.

Read two years of council minutes plus the last two AGM packages. Less than that and you miss the projects that build slowly, which are most of them. Our minutes red flags guide covers specific warning signs.

What we look for is not whether there is bad news. Every building has some. It is how the minutes are written. Specific numbers, named contractors, dated quotes, and decisions that follow from the discussions before them describe a strata that is paying attention. Minutes that record attendance and little else tell you less, and that absence is itself information.

Read them alongside the depreciation report. The report says what is coming. The minutes say whether anyone is acting on it.

If a meeting is scheduled during your purchase

This comes up more than you would think.

If an SGM has been called to approve a special levy and the meeting falls before your completion date, ask your lawyer or notary how it affects you. Timing determines a great deal here, and the Form B Information Certificate discloses approved levies as of its date.

Ask for a current Form B rather than one issued weeks ago, and ask whether any general meeting is scheduled. Our strata documents checklist covers the full request list.

We are agents rather than lawyers, and none of this is legal advice. Your lawyer or notary and the strata corporation are the right sources for a specific building.

Key takeaways

• An AGM must be held no later than two months after the strata's fiscal year end.
• A general meeting requires at least two weeks' written notice, or four weeks for a winding-up resolution.
• Owners holding at least 20% of the votes can demand an SGM, to be held within four weeks of the demand.
• A 3/4 vote means 3/4 of votes cast at the meeting, not 3/4 of all owners.
• Read two years of minutes plus the last two AGM packages, and judge how specifically they are written.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an AGM?

An AGM is the annual general meeting, where owners approve the budget, elect the strata council, and vote on resolutions. Under section 40 of the Strata Property Act, it must be held no later than two months after the strata corporation's fiscal year end. The AGM package is where the budget sits, so it shows what strata fees are doing and what contribution is going into the reserve. For a buyer, the timing of the next AGM tells you when the next budget conversation happens in that building.

What is an SGM?

An SGM is a special general meeting, called between AGMs when a decision cannot wait for the next annual cycle. Major repairs, special levies, and bylaw amendments commonly go to an SGM. Owners holding at least 20% of the strata corporation's votes can also force one by written demand under section 43 of the Strata Property Act, and the meeting must then happen within four weeks. An owner-demanded SGM in a building's history is worth reading closely, since it means a group of owners was frustrated enough to force the issue.

How much notice does a general meeting require?

Section 45 of the Strata Property Act requires at least two weeks' written notice for a general meeting. Where a resolution to wind up the strata corporation will be considered, the notice period rises to at least four weeks. The notice package itself is not a formality: it lists the exact resolutions being voted on, so a buyer who reads it knows precisely what the strata is about to decide, whether that is a budget, a bylaw change, or a special levy.

Can owners force a special general meeting?

Yes, under section 43 of the Strata Property Act, persons holding at least 20% of the strata corporation's votes may require a special general meeting by written demand, and the meeting must be held within four weeks after the demand is given. This gives a frustrated group of owners a real mechanism rather than just a complaint. If a buyer sees an owner-demanded SGM in a building's meeting history, it is worth reading the minutes to understand what drove it.

What is a 3/4 vote?

A 3/4 vote, as defined in the Strata Property Act, is a vote in favour of a resolution by at least 3/4 of the votes actually cast by eligible voters present in person or by proxy at the meeting, excluding anyone who abstained. That is 3/4 of votes cast at the meeting, not 3/4 of every owner in the building, so a poorly attended meeting can pass a major resolution with a modest number of owners behind it. Significant changes to common property and most bylaw amendments require this threshold.

Why should a buyer care about meeting minutes?

Meeting minutes are where a strata's real condition and finances get discussed before they show up anywhere else, including a levy that lands on owners the following spring. Reading two years of minutes plus the last two AGM packages shows whether the strata council is tracking problems with specific numbers, named contractors, and dated quotes, or letting them drift with vague discussion. That pattern shows a buyer how the building is run.

How far back should I read?

In our experience, two years of council minutes plus the last two AGM packages gives a useful picture of how a strata is run. Reading less than that risks missing projects that have been building slowly, which describes most major repair issues in an older building. Reading the minutes alongside the depreciation report is useful too, since the report says what work is coming and the minutes say whether the council is actually acting on it.

What does a well-run strata look like in the minutes?

A well-run strata's minutes contain specific numbers, named contractors, dated quotes, and decisions that clearly follow from the discussion that came before them. Minutes that record only attendance tell a buyer little about how the building is managed, and that lack of detail is itself useful information. Reading two years of minutes alongside the last two AGM packages and the depreciation report gives the clearest picture of whether a council is paying attention.

Can I attend a meeting before I buy?

General meetings, including both the AGM and any SGM, are open to owners rather than prospective buyers. What a buyer can do instead is read the minutes and the notice packages from the last two years, which is where the substance of any decision already lives. Our strata documents checklist covers the full list of records worth requesting before you remove subjects on a condo.

Does a scheduled SGM affect my purchase?

It can. If a special general meeting is called to approve a special levy and the meeting falls before your completion date, ask your lawyer or notary how the timing affects your purchase, since a levy approved shortly before or after completion can change who is responsible for paying it. Ask for a current Form B Information Certificate rather than one issued weeks earlier, and ask directly whether any general meeting is currently scheduled for the building.

Sources

• Strata Property Act, Part 4 (Strata Corporation Governance), BC Laws
• Strata Property Act, Part 1 (Definitions), BC Laws

Verified September 12, 2026. General information only, not legal advice. Consult the strata corporation and your lawyer or notary about a specific building.

Related FRIVE guides

• Council minutes red flags, what to look for in the record
• Proxy voting, why attendance shapes a 3/4 vote
• Special levies, what a meeting can approve
• Form B, what the certificate discloses and when
• Strata documents checklist, the full request list

Next Steps: Work with FRIVE

The minutes tell you more about a Fraser Valley condo than the photos do, and they take about an hour to read properly.

Start a conversation with the FRIVE team and we will go through them with you, or browse current Fraser Valley listings.