Minutes of a remote meeting: what they must contain

The minutes of a remote meeting must record, in addition to the usual elements, the circumstances specific to a distance session: the video conference format chosen with majority consent, the identification of the connected participants, the platform used and the handling of any connection interruptions. They are drawn up by the secretary and signed by the chair, then sent to the administrator and to all owners with the formalities of the notice. They are the document that proves the regularity of the meeting and the point from which the deadline to challenge runs: for this reason, in a video conference, they must be compiled with particular care.

Elements common to every set of minutes

As in an in-person meeting, the minutes state the date, the opening and closing time, whether it is the first or second call, the appointment of the chair and secretary, the agenda, the list of those present with their thousandths (millesimi) shares, a brief summary of the discussion on each item and the resolutions adopted with the voting result. It must be clear that the constitutive and deliberative quorums under Article 1136 of the Italian Civil Code were reached. These elements remain the core of the document even at a distance.

Attesting the remote format

The first specific point is to record that the meeting was held by video conference. It is advisable to state the platform used, the time the connection opened and the fact that the remote format had been approved with majority consent, recalling how that consent was obtained. This note links the minutes to the validity requirement of Article 66 of the implementing provisions and makes it verifiable that the choice was not imposed unilaterally by the administrator.

Identifying participants and calculating quorums

The minutes must record how the chair verified the identity of the connected participants and which real estate units correspond to each entitled owner. This is essential to correctly attribute the thousandths and verify the quorums. If a participant represents several units or acts under a proxy, the minutes specify it, stating the proxies and compliance with the representation limit of Article 67. The list of connected attendees, with their thousandths value, is the basis on which the validity of each resolution is measured.

Handling technical problems

A typical part of remote minutes is the record of technical mishaps. If a participant lost the connection during the meeting, the minutes must state when it happened, whether it occurred during a vote and how the meeting proceeded, for example by suspending the vote and resuming it once the connection was restored. Recording these steps shows that no entitled owner was in fact excluded from forming the will of the assembly and reduces the risk of a challenge based on connection irregularities.

The signature

In a video conference meeting the chair and the secretary may not be in the same place. It remains the case that the minutes are signed by the chair and drawn up by the secretary. In practice the secretary prepares the text and submits it to the chair for signature, which may take place immediately after the meeting closes. It is good practice for the minutes to be formed and made available promptly, so that the deadline to challenge runs with certainty and the resolutions can be implemented.

Delivery to the owners

The minutes must be sent to the administrator, if not the same person as the secretary, and to all owners, including those absent and dissenting, with the same formalities as the notice. This communication matters because the deadline to challenge the resolution before the court runs from the moment the absent or dissenting owner receives the minutes. Keeping proof of delivery is useful in the event of disputes.

Elements not to forget

• Date, opening and closing time, first or second call.
• Video conference format and platform used.
• Reference to majority consent to the remote format.
• List of connected participants with thousandths and any proxies.
• Constitutive and deliberative quorums reached on each item.
• Documented handling of connection interruptions.
• The chair's signature and delivery to all owners.

Compiling such detailed minutes by hand, with the calculation of quorums based on the thousandths and the check of proxies, is time-consuming and error-prone. Management software automatically generates the list of attendance and proxies, calculates the quorums and produces orderly minutes ready to be signed and distributed. AmministraPro provides these tools within meeting management: you can see them on the features page and compare the plans in the pricing section.