Calling a condominium owners' meeting is the easy part. The hard part is knowing, on the day, whether the meeting can actually pass resolutions. This is where most resident administrators hesitate — and where most procedural mistakes happen.
What quorum actually means
Quorum isn't counted by number of people, but by permillage — the share each owner holds of the whole building (all shares always add up to 1000‰). A meeting with 3 owners present can have quorum while another with 10 doesn't, depending on the weight of each unit.
First call
Under Portuguese condominium law, a meeting is validly held at first call when owners present (or represented by proxy) hold at least:
- Half of the building's total value (500‰), for resolutions requiring a simple majority;
- Qualified majorities (two-thirds or unanimity) require that share to be actually present, depending on the matter being decided — for example, works that change the building's architectural line.
Second call
If quorum isn't reached at the scheduled time, the law allows the meeting to reconvene at a second call, typically 30 minutes later, with any number of owners present — provided that second time was stated in the original notice. Resolutions requiring qualified majorities remain subject to those majorities even at second call.
Most common mistakes
- Not stating the second-call time in the notice, forcing the whole process to be redone.
- Confusing "majority of those present" with "majority of the building's total value".
- Not checking proxies before opening the session.
The ActiasGest virtual assistant calculates quorum automatically in real time during the meeting, based on each unit's registered permillage — avoiding these mistakes and later disputes about the validity of resolutions.
If you manage a building (or several), it's worth reviewing before every meeting: who is registered, each unit's permillage, and which majority the agenda requires for each item.