Can a Body Corporate Change a Meeting Venue at the Last Minute and Still Be Valid?

Ideally, you would never change the venue of a meeting, but sometimes needs must, and if you want to assess the validity of that choice, you probably need to ask whether the body corporate made a reasonable decision in moving the venue or whether anyone was unreasonably disadvantaged from their doing so.

We don’t have all the information here, but it seems there was no attempt to mislead owners and that a practical decision was made on the spot in response to unforeseen circumstances. If so, it doesn’t sound unreasonable. Was anyone disadvantaged? Again, we don’t know, but it sounds as though the meeting went ahead, and committee members and owners were able to attend, so maybe not. From a body corporate perspective, notes on the need to change venue should be included in the minutes.

Regarding the budget meeting, there isn’t a set format for how these should be run. Well organised budget meetings usually involve presenting a draft budget, details of the financials for the previous year and a structure around how items are reviewed. I agree that the better the structure, the better the outcome, but different people have different approaches, and a structured meeting is not required.

Still, if you are unhappy with how the current committee does things, you can always look to take some action. Most likely, you could volunteer to join the committee and try to provide some of the structure you want to see. Maybe encourage other owners to join as well. When the proposed budget is presented to the AGM, you could vote against it if necessary.

Perhaps you could write to the committee with your concerns or table a motion to have an issue voted on. It’s your scheme. If you are unhappy with how it is operating, you need to participate in actioning the changes you want to see.