The 12 most common mistakes in strata minutes

Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.

Mistakes in the record itself

1. No vote result. "Motion carried" is not a result. Write the count: "CARRIED (4 in favour, 1 opposed)". Standard Bylaw 18(3) requires the results of all council votes to be recorded.
2. Vague motions. "Council approved the fence" gives no contractor, price or fund. See motion wording examples.
3. No quorum statement. If the minutes do not show who was present and that quorum was met, every decision in them can be questioned. Council quorum under Standard Bylaw 16 depends on council size.
4. Decisions with no motion. "It was agreed that..." leaves no proof a vote happened. If council decided it, there should be a motion and a count.
5. Missing conflict of interest record. Section 32 requires a member with a conflict to disclose it, abstain, and leave. If the minutes are silent, nobody can show it was done.

Mistakes in timing

1. Sending minutes late. Council must inform owners of the minutes within two weeks of the meeting, approved or not. Waiting for approval at the next meeting is the single most common breach. Mark them "draft, subject to approval" and send them. See when minutes must go to owners.
2. Writing them up weeks later. Memory fades fast and details get invented. Finish the draft within two or three days.
3. Never approving them. Each set of minutes should be approved, with any corrections, at the next meeting, and that approval recorded.

Mistakes in privacy and tone

1. Naming people in complaints and arrears. Use strata lot numbers. See privacy in minutes.
2. Recording arguments and opinions. Minutes record what council did, not who was annoyed with whom. Opinion in a permanent record is how defamation complaints start.
3. Including legal advice. Record that advice was received and the decision taken. Keep the advice itself in a separate file.

Mistakes in process

1. Email decisions that never reach the minutes. If council decides something between meetings, it must be allowed by your bylaws and should be confirmed by motion at the next meeting so it appears in the record. A decision that exists only in an inbox disappears when the council changes. See council email voting.

Two more appear often enough to mention. Councils edit old minutes quietly instead of approving a correction in the open (see correcting minutes). And councils lose minutes altogether: the strata must keep minutes for at least six years under the Regulation, and in practice should keep them permanently.

What these mistakes cost

• Fines set aside. If minutes and letters do not show the steps in section 135 were followed, a fine can be cancelled by the Civil Resolution Tribunal.
• Sales delayed. Buyers' agents read two years of minutes. Gaps and confusion raise questions the seller has to answer.
• Disputes council cannot win. A strata that cannot show it made a decision properly is in a weak position. See minutes as evidence.
• Volunteer burnout. The secretary who rewrites minutes three times is the secretary who does not stand again.

A five-minute check before you send

• Does every decision have a motion and a count?
• Does every motion with a cost have an amount and a fund?
• Are attendance and quorum stated?
• Are people in complaints and arrears identified by lot number only?
• Is "draft" marked if not yet approved, and is today within two weeks of the meeting?
• Are action items listed with a name and a date?

If you would rather have that check done for you, the minutes compliance checker scores a set of minutes against these points.

Questions councils and owners ask

What is the most common mistake in strata minutes?

Recording a decision without the vote result. BC law specifically requires minutes to include the results of votes.

Are minutes invalid if they are sent late?

Lateness does not undo the decisions, but it is a breach of the bylaws that an owner can raise with council or the Civil Resolution Tribunal.

Do mistakes in old minutes need to be fixed?

Correct anything that matters by a motion at a current meeting, recorded in the current minutes. Do not rewrite the old document.

Who is responsible for mistakes in the minutes?

The strata corporation, acting through council. The secretary usually prepares them, but council as a whole approves them.

Can a property manager's minutes have these mistakes too?

Yes. Council remains responsible for the record even when a manager prepares it, so council should read every draft.

This page is general information for BC strata corporations, not legal advice. Your strata's own filed bylaws may differ from the Standard Bylaws. See the current text of the Strata Property Act and the Strata Property Regulation on BC Laws.

Related guides

Compliance Checker
Minute-Taking Guide
Motion Wording Examples
When Minutes Must Go Out
What Not to Put in Minutes
Minutes as Evidence