Turn a strata meeting recording into finished minutes
Recording the meeting is the easy part. Replaying two hours of it to type up minutes is the part nobody has time for. You can skip it.
Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
Upload the audio from your strata council meeting or general meeting and StrataMinutes prepares complete written minutes: attendance, each item of business, every motion with its vote result, and action items. Audio is $25 for the first hour of recording and $10 for each additional hour, on top of a membership ($29 a month, first month free). You receive a PDF, a Word copy and a compliance checklist.
Why a transcript is not minutes
A transcript is every word. Minutes are the decisions. BC law asks for minutes that include the results of any votes (section 35 of the Strata Property Act), not a record of who said what. A word-for-word transcript of a council meeting is usually thirty pages of half sentences, and it puts opinions, names and personal details into a document owners can request.
Getting from a recording to proper minutes means:
- Working out which parts of the conversation were decisions.
- Writing each decision as a clear motion with the amount, the contractor and the fund.
- Recording the vote for each one.
- Leaving out the discussion, apart from a sentence of context.
- Handling hearings, complaints and arrears by strata lot number.
That is the work the service does for you.
How it works
- Record the meeting. A phone on the table is enough for a small council. For electronic meetings, use the platform's recording.
- Upload the audio on the home page and choose the meeting type. Add any notes you have, such as the agenda or the vote counts.
- Receive the minutes. The finished document and checklist usually arrive within minutes.
- Review and send. Council reads the draft, uses the included revision if anything needs changing, and distributes the minutes to owners within the two-week window in Standard Bylaw 19.
StrataMinutes can take this off your plate. Have a recording from your last meeting? Upload it now and compare the result with the minutes you wrote by hand.
Getting a recording that works
- Put the recorder in the middle of the table, away from fans and open windows.
- Ask the chair to state each motion aloud in full before the vote, and to announce the count: "That is four in favour, one opposed, carried." This one habit improves any set of minutes.
- Have people say their name the first time they speak if the group is large.
- Pause the recording for in camera items and note the outcome separately.
- For AGMs, keep the tally sheets. Counts read from paper are more reliable than counts heard in a hall.
Privacy and consent
A recording contains personal information, so the strata corporation should tell everyone at the start that the meeting is being recorded and why, and delete the recording once the minutes are approved. Our guide to recording strata meetings has a sample motion. Recordings you upload are used to prepare your minutes and for nothing else. See the privacy policy.
What it costs
| Meeting | Audio | What you pay on top of membership |
|---|---|---|
| Council meeting, 1 hour | 1 hour | $25 |
| Council meeting, 2 hours | 2 hours | $35 |
| AGM, 2 hours | 2 hours | $25 AGM + $35 audio = $60 |
Membership is $29 a month with one council meeting included, or $299 a year with twelve meeting credits, and starts with a free month. If you send typed or handwritten notes instead of audio, there is no audio fee at all. All prices are in Canadian dollars. See pricing.
Recording or notes: which is better?
Both produce complete minutes. Notes are cheaper and often faster, because the person at the table has already separated decisions from talk. A recording is better when nobody wants to take notes, when the meeting is long or contentious, or when the council wants certainty about what was moved. Many councils do both: brief notes of motions and counts, with the recording as backup.
Questions councils and owners ask
What audio can I upload?
Recordings from phones, recorders and online meeting platforms are accepted in common audio formats. If a file will not upload, send your notes instead or contact us.
How long does it take?
Finished minutes usually arrive within minutes of upload. Long recordings take a little longer.
Will the minutes include everything that was said?
No, and they should not. They record attendance, decisions, votes and action items, with brief neutral context.
What if the recording is unclear in places?
Where something essential cannot be made out, the minutes say so plainly instead of guessing, and you can supply the missing detail with your included revision.
Do you keep our recording?
It is used to prepare your minutes. See the privacy policy for retention details, and delete your own copy once the minutes are approved.
Stop replaying the meeting
Upload the recording once and receive the finished minutes. Most councils have their document back before they would have finished listening to the first half hour.
Free for 30 days, then $29 a month. Cancel anytime.
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
Recording Strata Meetings
Minute-Taking Service
AGM Minute-Taking Service
Electronic Meetings
Minute-Taking Guide
Strata Minutes Software