Do strata meetings have to follow Robert's Rules of Order?
Someone at the meeting announces that "under Robert's Rules" the vote is invalid. Usually they are wrong, and usually Robert's Rules do not apply at all. Here is what does.
Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
No. Nothing in the Strata Property Act, the Regulation or the Standard Bylaws requires Robert's Rules of Order. They apply only if your strata has adopted them in a bylaw, and even then the Act and your bylaws override them wherever they differ. The rules that actually bind a BC strata meeting are the Act's rules on notice, quorum, voting thresholds and proxies, and the Standard Bylaws on chairing, voting and the order of business.
What Robert's Rules are
Robert's Rules of Order is an American manual of parliamentary procedure, first published in 1876 and now in its twelfth edition, running to several hundred pages. It is designed for large deliberative bodies. It has no legal force of its own in Canada. An organization is bound by it only if its own governing documents adopt it.
What governs strata meetings in BC
In order of authority:
- The Strata Property Act and Regulation. Notice (section 45), quorum (section 48), electronic attendance (section 49), voting thresholds (sections 1 and 50), reconsideration (section 51), who may vote (sections 53 to 58), and what each kind of decision requires.
- Your strata's bylaws. The Standard Bylaws unless amended: who chairs (25), who may attend and speak (26), voting cards, precise counts and secret ballots (27), order of business (28), and for council, calling meetings, quorum and voting (14 to 18).
- Decisions of the meeting itself. On points the Act and bylaws leave open, the chair rules, and the meeting can decide by majority.
- Custom, including whatever parts of Robert's Rules people find helpful.
A procedural point from Robert's Rules cannot defeat a requirement of the Act or bylaws.
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Where Robert's Rules and BC strata law differ
| Topic | Robert's Rules | BC strata law |
|---|---|---|
| Seconder | Generally required | Not required by the Standard Bylaws |
| Abstentions | Vary by rule | Not counted in majority or 3/4 votes; count against 80% and unanimous votes |
| "Two-thirds vote" | Used for many procedural motions | Not a threshold in the Act: thresholds are majority, 3/4, 80% and unanimous |
| Chair voting | Chair of a large body usually votes only to break a tie | President votes as an owner or council member, and under the Standard Bylaws may cast a second vote to break a tie |
| Quorum | Set by the organization | Set by section 48 and Standard Bylaw 16, subject to your bylaws |
| Amending motions with notice | Flexible | 3/4 resolutions may be amended only without substantial change and with 3/4 approval (section 50) |
| Order of business | Customary | Set by Standard Bylaw 28 for general meetings |
The most common error is the phrase "two-thirds majority". There is no two-thirds vote in the Strata Property Act.
Should your strata adopt them?
A few stratas have a bylaw stating that meetings are conducted under Robert's Rules where the Act and bylaws are silent. The advantage is a reference book for unusual situations. The disadvantages are larger: the book is long, few owners have read it, and it invites procedural arguments that have nothing to do with the merits. For a volunteer council, a short set of meeting practices adopted by council motion usually serves better:
- One motion at a time, stated by the chair before the vote.
- Speak through the chair, once each before anyone speaks twice.
- Amendments voted on before the main motion.
- The chair rules on points of order, and the meeting may overrule by majority.
- Every vote is counted and announced.
If your bylaws already adopt Robert's Rules, they apply as a gap-filler only.
Handling a "point of order"
When someone objects that a rule has been broken, the chair should ask which section of the Act or which bylaw they are relying on. If it is a real requirement, deal with it: check the notice, recount the vote, confirm quorum. If it is a point from Robert's Rules and your bylaws do not adopt them, the chair can say so, rule, and move on. Record any ruling that matters in the minutes: "The chair ruled the proposed amendment out of order as it would substantially change the resolution set out in the notice."
What this means for the minutes
Minutes do not need parliamentary language. They need the facts that show the Act and bylaws were followed: notice given, quorum present, each motion, each count. See how detailed minutes should be.
Questions councils and owners ask
Are Robert's Rules mandatory for strata councils in BC?
No. They apply only if your strata's bylaws adopt them, and never in priority to the Act or bylaws.
Is there a two-thirds vote under the Strata Property Act?
No. The Act uses majority, 3/4, 80% and unanimous votes.
Can the chair make up the rules as the meeting goes?
The chair rules on procedure where the Act and bylaws are silent, but must follow the Act and bylaws, and a ruling can be put to the meeting.
Do motions at a strata AGM need a seconder?
Not under the Standard Bylaws. Robert's Rules would require one, but they do not apply unless adopted.
What if our bylaws say Robert's Rules apply?
Then they fill gaps where the Act and your bylaws are silent. Where they conflict, the Act and bylaws prevail.
The rules that matter are the ones in the minutes
Notice, quorum, motion, count. StrataMinutes prepares minutes that show each of those was done, which is what counts if a decision is ever questioned.
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For a 30-lot strata, that is under $1 a lot each month. Have the strata pay: free council approval kit.
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
How to Chair a Meeting
Motions and Amendments
AGM Order of Business
Voting Rules
The Standard Bylaws
Disruptive Owners at Meetings