How to Get a Motion on the Strata Agenda or Push for a General Meeting

In strata, most complaints go nowhere because they're sent in the wrong format.

We've all seen it: An owner fires off a long email about a leaky ceiling, a neighbor slamming doors, a broken gate, or a manager who won't respond. The committee reads it and says they'll "look into it." Weeks pass. Nothing happens. The owner sends another, more frustrated email. The committee gets defensive. By the time the next AGM rolls around, the complaint is still just "correspondence," not a clear decision.

Here's the real secret: Format matters. If you actually want something decided, you need to put a motion on the agenda.

A motion isn't just another annoyance in someone's inbox. It's a proposed decision—the thing you want the owners, body corporate, or committee to formally resolve. If you stick to complaints, you'll probably keep getting ignored. A motion forces a yes or no.

This guide lays out how owners can get a motion on the agenda (and survive the meeting!), how to actually write one, and when you need to push for a general meeting instead of waiting for the next AGM.

Step one: figure out if you even need a motion

Not everything needs a motion and a meeting vote. If it's a flickering light, a missing invoice, a quick records request—just ask the manager or the secretary to sort it out. Don't overcomplicate routine stuff.

You definitely need a motion when:

• The committee says it lacks authority
• You need money approved
• By-laws have to be changed
• Owners have to pick an option
• The issue keeps getting ignored
• You need a formal decision recorded
• It affects all owners
• You're trying to instruct the manager (or lawyer, contractor, committee)

The test is simple: Do you want a clear decision, yes or no? If so, write a motion.

What makes a good motion

A good motion answers three things:

• What's actually being decided?
• Who's in charge of doing it?
• Are there limits or conditions?

You see lots of weak motions, like "Fix the roof." But what's wrong with the roof, whose quote are we using, who signs off, how much can they spend, and which fund pays? "Fix the roof" gets you nowhere.

Keep it practical. Anyone reading the minutes later should know what to do.

Here's a reality check:

Weak motion: That the owners corporation fixes the leaking roof.

Useful motion: That the owners corporation approves roof leak investigation and repair works to the western stairwell roof area, based on the attached report from ABC Roofing dated 2 June 2026, with spending capped at $18,000 including GST unless further approved at a general meeting.

See the difference? The better motion isn't longer, it's clearer. Someone can actually act on it.

Don't bury the motion in a long rant

The motion is the official decision. Your explanation or evidence is separate. Don't tuck your motion on page two of a frustrated essay—the committee won't even see it. Put the motion up front. Then add a short note: What's the issue, why it matters, any supporting documents.

In NSW, they recommend a summary (1-2 sentences), your name, and a supporting note of up to 300 words. If you can't explain it in 300 words, tighten it up.

Write a useful explanation:

• What's the actual problem?
• Why does it matter?
• What proves it's real?
• What do you want decided?
• Why is this a reasonable way forward?

Stick to facts—leave out insults, guesses about motives, or "the committee does nothing" rants. Use dates, docs, photos, and quotes.

Include evidence owners can actually vote on

Don't expect owners to just take your word for it. Attach proof—photos, contractor reports, quotes, emails, relevant by-laws, meeting extracts, even a budget note. If you're asking for money, include quotes or say you're only seeking approval to get them. If it's legal action, stick to basics—avoid dumping confidential advice into the open without approval.

Honestly, boring stuff is best: When was it first reported? When was it followed up? What's the current status and the next step you want?

Send it to the right person

Motions usually go to the secretary, strata manager, or whoever writes the meeting agenda. Email is fine. Use a clear subject line, like: "Motion for next general meeting: basement pump quotes." Ask for confirmation it's received and will be included. If there's a cut-off date for the AGM agenda, double-check.

Keep a copy of everything—your email, attachments, replies. If the motion vanishes, you'll want to know exactly where things got lost.

Why motions get rejected

Committees aren't supposed to reject motions just because they're annoying. But sometimes, there's a good reason:

• It was too late for the agenda
• It goes against the law
• The building doesn't have authority to do it
• It's defamatory or abusive
• It's already on the agenda
• It's too vague
• It needs proper legal drafting, especially for by-laws

If your motion is rejected, ask for a written reason. Then decide—tighten it up, resubmit, get advice, or take it down a dispute path.

Rejections aren't always a plot to keep you out. Sometimes the motion just needs work.

When to send — timing matters

There are three main options:

1. Next AGM — best for big picture stuff like budget transparency, committee reports, by-law reviews, long-term planning, manager performance, sustainability, lifts, governance changes.
2. Next committee meeting — if the committee has authority and it doesn't need all owners to vote. Quicker, but sometimes owners can't speak, depending on your state.
3. Special general meeting — heavier, but necessary for urgent funding, major repairs, manager appointment/removal, by-law changes, levies, litigation, or a committee ignoring a serious issue.

Don't call a general meeting if the committee could sort it out. People get meeting fatigue. Only go big when it really matters.

How to call a general meeting

The process differs by state or territory. In NSW, owners holding at least 25% of units can force a general meeting by written request. Elsewhere, the threshold might be different—lots, units, entitlements—so check your rules first.

Here's what you'll need to do:

• Set out clear motions (not just complaints)
• Confirm the legal threshold
• Work out if it's by lot, share, or another measure
• Get written support from enough owners
• Send the request to the secretary or manager
• Keep proof you sent it
• Ask for the meeting notice and agenda

Don't just collect angry signatures—start with the decisions you want made. Others will back a clear agenda.

The 25 percent trap

Unit entitlements sometimes trip people up. Ten small owners might not hit 25%, but two large owners could. Always check the lot entitlement schedule, strata plan, or relevant document.

Lots of sympathetic owners isn't enough—thresholds are what count.

What goes in the meeting request

Keep it simple:

• Strata name and address
• Names and lot numbers of requesting owners
• Evidence you've hit the threshold (if required)
• Clear motions
• Brief explanation and attachments
• Confirmation that you're invoking the correct state rule
• A contact person

Don't attach a manifesto. The motion, support material, and your authority is all that's needed.

Tips for motions that pass

Owners vote for motions they understand. If it's vague, vengeful, or expensive with no plan, they'll say no.

Best motions:

• Spell out exactly what happens if passed
• Are lawful—no privacy breaches, misconduct, or unauthorised spending
• Give a budget, or just authorise investigation
• Are reasonable in scope
• Give the committee a clear job and reporting path

If things are complicated, break it down: Approve an investigation, then get quotes, then approve funds, and finally the contract. Owners are happier when they see each step.

Some examples

Repairs

Motion: That the owners corporation gets a written report from a licensed plumber on recurring leaks in lots 12 and 18—including source, recommended fix, urgency, and a budget—with the report sent to owners within 21 days.

Why it works: It's focused. It doesn't assume anything. It asks for facts.

Manager performance

Motion: That the committee compares the current strata management agreement to at least two alternatives before the next AGM, covering fees, charges, terms, insurance commissions, meeting attendance, and handover requirements.

Why it works: It shifts the question from anger to informed choice.

Capital works

Motion: That the owners corporation reviews the 10-year capital works plan and gets updated quotes for roof, lift, and fire-system jobs due in the next five years, with costs included in the next AGM budget.

Why it works: Turns "we need a special levy" into clear planning.

Records

Motion: That the committee keeps a digital project register of all repairs over $5,000, showing approval, quote, contractor, invoice, payment, status, and completion.

Why it works: Clears up the record trail without blame.

At the meeting

Speak to the motion—don't rehash every email since 2021. Owners want to know why this particular decision should pass today.

Keep it simple:

• What's the problem?
• What's the evidence?
• What will it cost (or what's the next step)?
• What's the risk if nothing happens?
• Why is this fair?

Answer legit questions. If someone plays the person, not the issue, pull it back to what's on the agenda. The chair should keep things civil, but you staying calm really helps.

After the vote

If your motion passes, don't let it die as "minutes in a PDF." Confirm:

• Who's doing what?
• What's the deadline?
• When will owners get an update?
• Where can you find forms, reports, contracts?
• Does the committee need quotes, reports, or legal advice?

If it fails, find out why. Maybe owners just disagreed—or maybe your motion wasn't ready. Adjust, resubmit, seek mediation, or sometimes, just accept the answer.

Bottom line

Strata is full of people who want "something" done. A motion actually spells out "what." That's how you move from frustration to action—to a recorded decision that gets tracked. If you're stuck, don't just send another angry email. State what you want clearly, back it up with evidence, and get it onto the agenda. That's how things change.

How a motion actually gets onto the paper

Emailing the chair is not lodgement. Find the rule for your state: who receives the motion (usually the secretary), how many days before the meeting it must arrive, and whether one owner is enough or you need a group.

NSW owners can require a motion to be included on a general-meeting agenda if it is given in time under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015. Other states have their own notice periods and forms. If you miss the cut-off, the motion waits for the next meeting unless you have the numbers to requisition an extraordinary general meeting.

A requisitioned meeting is the heavier tool. Typically a stated number of owners, or owners with a stated share of entitlements, must sign. Use it when the committee will not list a time-sensitive decision: a related-party contract, a failed fire measure, a manager the building wants to terminate. Do not use it for a dripping tap. The cost of the meeting comes from the scheme. Owners remember who called a $4,000 EGM for a personality fight.

Write the motion so the secretary can paste it. If they have to rewrite it, they will, and you may not like the rewrite. Send the exact wording, a short explanatory note, and the attachments you want in the pack (quote, photos, report). Ask for written confirmation that it is on the agenda.

Wording that survives the meeting

Bad: "That something be done about the gate." Better: "That the owners corporation accept quote 3 from City Gates Pty Ltd dated 3 March 2026 for $14,800 plus GST to replace the basement boom-gate motor and control board, funded from the administrative fund, and that the strata committee be authorised to sign the works order."

The second version names the decision, the supplier, the cap, the fund and who may sign. Owners can vote yes or no. The committee cannot later treat it as authority to rebuild the whole entrance.

If you need a report first, vote for the report, not the imaginary repair:

"That the owners corporation engage a licensed waterproofing consultant, at a cost not exceeding $2,500 from the administrative fund, to report on the source of water entering lot 12's bedroom and to recommend responsibility and next steps, with the report circulated to owners within 14 days of receipt."

That is a decision. "Fix lot 12" is a wish.

What the chair can do to your motion

The chair can rule a motion out of order if it is unlawful, unworkable, or not within the corporation's power. They should say why, and it should be minuted. They should not bury it because it is inconvenient.

They can also allow a foreshadowed amendment. An amendment that changes the supplier, the cap or the fund is a different deal. If your directed proxies cannot follow a rewritten motion, say so and ask that the original be put first.

If the committee lists your item as "discussion" instead of a motion, object at the start of the meeting. Discussion produces no authority. Insist it be put.

After it passes, make it exist

A passed motion without a person, a date and a file is correspondence again. Within a week, write to the secretary: who is obtaining the order, when owners will see the signed quote, and where the papers will live. If nothing happens in the time the motion set, put a follow-up motion on the next agenda requiring a written status report. That is how ignored resolutions get a second life without starting a feud.

If it fails, ask for the count on the record. A 12–11 loss with three invalid proxies is a different fact from a room that simply disagreed. You may have a process point, or you may need a better paper next time.

Numbers: one owner versus a requisition

One owner can usually place a motion on an already-called general meeting if they meet the notice deadline. That is the default path. Count backwards from the meeting date, allow for post or portal delay, and send it twice if you use email: once to the secretary, a copy to the manager.

A requisition is for when there is no meeting, or the committee will not call one. Check the current threshold in your Act — a number of lots, a percentage of entitlements, or both. Collect signatures on one page that states the business of the meeting. Vague "we want a meeting about the manager" will be bounced. "To consider motions to terminate the strata management agreement and to appoint [name] from [date]" can be called.

You are entitled to see the agenda before the meeting. If your wording was changed, raise it under opening business. The meeting votes on what was notified, not on what someone paraphrased in the lift.

Attach evidence that fits in the pack. Five photos and one quote beat a 20-page email history. Owners will not read your correspondence file at 7pm. They will look at a picture of the leak and a number.

If the secretary says the motion is "out of time", ask for the statutory deadline in writing and the date they received your email. Portals that sit unread for a week are not your problem if you sent it inside the period. Keep the sent item. A motion that arrives one day late can still be accepted by the meeting if the Act allows and the chair is willing. Ask. Do not assume the first "no" is the law.

Number your motions if you put more than one in. "Motion A — report. Motion B — works up to $X if the report says common property." The meeting can pass A and fail B. One blob that tries to do both will fail both.

Last updated: 14 August 2026. UnitBuddy publishes general information for Australian strata owners and committees. It is not legal advice.

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