Signing the assembly minutes: chairperson and secretary

The assembly minutes signature by chairperson and secretary is the closing step of every condominium meeting and gives the document its formal effectiveness. The minutes record what was discussed and what was resolved, but it is the signature of the person who chaired the meeting and of the person who drafted the record that makes it a reliable document, binding on absent owners and usable as evidence in the event of a dispute.

The role of the assembly chairperson

The chairperson is appointed by the assembly itself at the start of the meeting, unless the condominium bylaws provide otherwise, and is responsible for running the proceedings, giving the floor to participants, putting the items on the agenda to a vote and announcing the outcome of each vote. Their signature on the minutes confirms that what is recorded actually matches how the meeting they chaired unfolded, and therefore represents a guarantee of procedural correctness, not a mere formality without substance.

The role of the secretary

The secretary, also designated by the assembly, has the practical task of drafting the minutes, transcribing the relevant statements, proposals, votes and outcomes. Their signature confirms that what is written matches what actually happened during the meeting, from the point of view of the person who physically followed and noted the proceedings. The role of secretary is often taken on by the administrator, unless the assembly decides otherwise.

Why both signatures are needed

The two signatures are not redundant, they serve complementary functions: the chairperson's guarantees the regularity of how the assembly proceedings unfolded, the secretary's guarantees the faithfulness of the transcription. Together, the two signatures give the minutes a presumption of truthfulness regarding their content, a presumption that can only be overcome through evidence to the contrary provided by whoever challenges the document.

The evidentiary value of the minutes

Minutes signed by the chairperson and the secretary constitute evidence of what they attest regarding how the meeting unfolded, the presence of owners, the main statements and the outcome of the votes. When a resolution is challenged in court, the minutes are often the central document on which the judge's assessment is based, which is why accurate drafting and prompt signing by both signatories reduce the risk of later disputes.

What happens if one of the two signatures is missing

The absence of the chairperson's or the secretary's signature weakens the evidentiary value of the minutes, although it does not automatically make the resolutions contained in them void, because the validity of assembly decisions depends mainly on compliance with the required majorities and with the notice and voting procedures, not solely on the signing of the minutes. It nonetheless becomes harder, without one of the two signatures, to prove with certainty what actually happened at the meeting, with significant practical consequences in the event of a dispute.

Challenges to the content of the minutes

An owner present at the assembly who believes the minutes do not faithfully reflect what actually happened can raise the point before signing, asking for corrections or additions, or can challenge them afterward, providing evidence to the contrary. Courts tend to give the minutes a strong presumption of reliability precisely because they are signed by two different people with distinct roles, so anyone challenging them must provide concrete elements, not simply generic claims.

Attaching the attendance list

The list of meeting participants must be attached to the minutes, indicating the millesimal shares represented, whether by direct attendance or by proxy. This attachment is essential to verify that the quorum required for the meeting to be validly constituted, and the quorum required for each resolution, were actually met on each item on the agenda. It is a document that the chairperson and the secretary must pay particular attention to, because errors in counting attendance can affect the validity of the resolutions adopted.

• The chairperson's signature attests to the regularity of the proceedings.
• The secretary's signature attests to the faithfulness of the transcription.
• A missing signature weakens, without automatically invalidating, the document.
• The attached attendance list is used to verify the quorum reached.

Handling the notice of meeting, the attendance list and the drafting of the minutes with precision is easier with dedicated condominium management software. AmministraPro makes it possible to prepare meeting notices, proxies and attendance lists, and to keep signed minutes in an organized digital archive: you can see how it works on the features page or compare plans in the pricing section.