Your strata meetings are your opportunity to make your voice heard and have your say on important decisions that will affect your lifestyle and enjoyment of your strata unit. However, there will likely be times that you can’t make it to a General Meeting, so in these cases you can assign a person to complete a proxy vote on your behalf.
What is a proxy vote?
It is simply a vote by someone who represents you at a strata meeting. There are some simple rules in place to stop proxy votes being used for personal advantage: for example, by a property agent or a developer in some situations. Other than that, you can choose whomever you trust to vote on your behalf.
How can I assign a proxy to vote on my behalf?
The process is really quite simple. You can download the proxy appointment form at this link. You’ll need to decide how long you would like to appoint your proxy for, designating approval for a set number of meetings or months (If you attend a meeting in person and vote instead, the proxy vote will not be counted). You will also need to decide and nominate which matters your proxy will or will not be authorised to vote on, as well as how the proxy should vote on a motion for the appointment or continuation in office of a strata managing agent.
When this form is complete you will need to hand this to the secretary of your strata committee either before or at the General Meeting. In larger schemes, you must give this to the secretary at least 24 before the meeting takes place. The proxy appointment process will have to take place again either after 12 months or after two Annual General Meetings: whichever is the longest period.
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Limits to proxy votes
In order to keep voting fair and to eliminate the previously problematic issue of proxy farming (where votes were sometimes used for personal gain), there’s now a limit to the amount that one person can hold within one strata scheme. For schemes with 20 lots or fewer, a person can only hold one proxy vote. In schemes that have over 20 lots, the person can be proxy for up to 5% of the total lots.
If you have any questions about appointing or using a proxy vote at your next meeting, you can ask your strata manager or secretary for further details. More information on how to fill a proxy form is available here
