Question: If a proxy names a specific strata managing agent who then becomes unexpectedly unavailable, is that proxy invalid, and is there a way to fix it before the meeting starts?
Answer: A proxy named to an individual becomes invalid if that person can’t attend, but it can be replaced with a new proxy before the meeting starts.
That’s an annoying one. That proxy wouldn’t hold force because you’re giving it to an individual, for example, naming me specifically. If one of my team shows up instead because I’m at home sick, they wouldn’t be able to use that proxy form.
The strata managing agent should be on the ball and give the owner a call to say the named person can’t make it today. The owner can then decide to do nothing, which is fine, or issue a new proxy naming whoever will be attending instead. Once that’s done, the new proxy is submitted and everything proceeds as normal.
Strata managing agents need to be prepared for the AGM. Print out attendance lists and go through the proxies. There have been situations with blackouts, printers running out of paper, all sorts of things that can happen in an office on any given day.
So preparation, even for a small block, matters. Print out your documents in the morning, check the proxies folder, and make sure you’re ready to go. You don’t want to be running late at four o’clock trying to print the owners’ list. It happens to all of us.
This post appears in the September 2026 edition of The NSW Strata Magazine.
Rod Smith The Strata Collective E: rsmith@thestratacollective.com.au P: 02 9879 3547