We get asked this question quite often from Strata Owners that have an issue that isn’t being addressed by their Strata Council, or if Strata Council has denied a certain request that other owners feel is unreasonable or unfair.
As an owner in a Strata Corporation, you have the right to call an SGM if you can garner enough support for it. This can relate to anything, but the usual issues are rental bylaws, pet bylaws, parking, noise, etc.
Calling a strata SGM
In order to call an SGM, Section 43 of the Strata Property Act states that persons holding at least 20% of the strata corporation’s votes may require the Strata Corporation to hold a Special General Meeting to consider a resolution or other matter.
The demand must be;
- In writing
- Signed by each of the people making the demand
When can the SGM be held?
The SGM must be held within 4 weeks of the demand being given to the Strata Corporation. The minimum notice period to the Owners is 21 days, so in reality there is only a one week period in which to hold the SGM.
The resolution or whatever is specified in the demand must be the first item on the agenda.
What happens after I call an SGM?
Keep in mind that this just to get your issue to the voting table. All resolutions require a majority vote of quorum, unless they require a ¾ vote, which many would. An example of this would be a change to a specific bylaw. So even if you have 20% of the Owners onboard, you still need to likely garner enough support for 75% of the owners to approve.
Looking for some help holding a Special General Meeting? Reach out to our Strata Property Management team of experts today!