Collecting proxies before the general meeting: what the condo board may do

A meeting that falls short of the majority on an important vote costs a whole year. Mobilising absent owners is legitimate — within a precise framework.

The scenario is frustrating: a project prepared over months, quotes compared, a funding plan — and on the day, the votes present or represented fall short. The decision is postponed by a year, the quotes expire, everything starts again.

Mobilising absent owners is therefore a natural task for the board. But the rules on proxies are precise, and mistakes invalidate votes.

The rules to know

• An absent owner may give proxy to a person of their choosing, whether an owner or not.
• One person may not, in principle, hold more than three proxies, unless the total votes they carry stay under a threshold set against all the votes of the association.
• The property manager, their staff and their relatives may not receive a proxy: the most frequently overlooked incompatibility.
• The proxy must be dated and signed by hand to be valid.
• It is handed to the holder or sent to the manager before the meeting.

These rules evolve and vary with the size of the association: if in doubt on a specific case, have it confirmed by a professional before the meeting rather than after.

What the board may do

Inform, explain and propose. A board is fully entitled to write to owners beforehand to present the significant resolutions, explain its position and remind them that a proxy allows participation without attending.

It is one of the main reasons for the board to communicate at all: see how to communicate better with co-owners. An owner who understands the stakes attends or gives proxy; one who receives a notice with no context does neither.

What is better avoided

• Having blank proxies signed: the giver must know to whom they entrust their vote.
• Concentrating proxies on one person beyond what the rule allows — exceeding it weakens the votes concerned.
• Presenting the request as coming from the manager: it comes from the board, and should say so.
• Promising a vote in exchange for a proxy: the holder must vote according to any instructions received.

A proxy is sought by explaining what is at stake, never by having a blank sheet signed.

The method, in the calendar

1. As soon as the notice goes out, send a note explaining the two or three structural resolutions and the board's opinion on each.
2. Remind owners of the proxy option, pointing to the form attached to the notice and the deadline for sending it to the manager.
3. Follow up a week before, targeting owners who are historically absent.
4. On the day, check the count of represented votes with the manager before voting opens.

The explanatory note is also the moment to present the condo board annual report, which gives absent owners the material to decide.

Preparing rather than catching up

A vote carried thanks to proxies is above all a well-prepared vote: resolutions drafted so they can be voted — see the agenda — and quotes obtained in time, which the quote request to the manager makes easier.

With CoproHarmony, the year's decisions, quotes and exchanges sit in one place: the note to owners is written from dated facts, not recollections. Create your space for free.

Check everyone actually receives the notice: the electronic notification rules.

A simpler alternative exists for absent owners: postal voting.