The Dos and Don’ts of Condo Meeting Agendas

September 24, 2021

Meetings, and the decisions that come from them, play a critical role in maintaining and determining the future of a condo. Whether it’s an annual board meeting or periodic committee and project meeting, it’s important that these gatherings are productive and accomplish the intended goals. A well-prepared agenda can make or break your meeting—differentiating what will be a worthwhile get-together versus a long, drawn-out affair. An agenda sets the pace of a meeting and offers a schedule of discussion topics, keeping everyone on track. Read on to learn what to do—and what not to do—when forming a condo meeting agenda.

DO: Create and follow a standardized template.

Creating and following a standardized agenda template provides guidance to new board members who aren’t familiar with meeting structures and ensures meetings are consistent and critical business matters aren’t forgotten.

Meeting agendas typically follow this format:

Meeting Name
Date, Time, Location
Call to Order
Determining quorum
Approval of Last Meeting’s Minutes
Reports
Action Items
Committee Reports
Old Business
New Business
Adjourn

DON’T: Forget to review your governing documents and applicable laws.

Agendas set the course of action for the meeting, and minutes provide a legally binding record of what occurred at the meeting. Confirm everything on your agenda aligns with all applicable laws and your condo’s governing documents. While some items can be discussed behind closed doors, many can’t. If you’re concerned about compliance, consult a lawyer.

DO: Mark start times for each agenda item.

One way to control the length of a meeting is to use a timed agenda. To do this, note the actual start time next to each agenda item and then provide an estimate of how much time the discussion should take. A timed agenda will allow attendees to re-focus if a topic is discussed outside of the scope of the agenda or participants become verbose. Meetings over one hour are a key reason for poor meeting attendance.

DON’T: Expose confidential information.

Confidential information, such as pending lawsuits, details about specific homeowners, condo employees or vendors, and other similar topics, should be discussed in meetings, which are open only to board members. Be careful not to discuss these topics at public meetings, or your condo could quickly become involved in a legal situation.