Extraordinary General Meeting Minutes: When to Call One & 2026 Legal Template

Quick summary: extraordinary owners’ meeting minutes are the legal document recording the resolutions passed at a meeting called on an ad hoc basis to deal with urgent matters or matters not covered by the annual general meeting (AGM). They are subject to the same formal requirements as ordinary AGM minutes (Art. 19 of the Spanish Property Law (LPH)), but with shorter notice periods and a much more tightly defined agenda.

What is an extraordinary owners’ meeting?

An extraordinary owners’ meeting is any community meeting that is not the compulsory annual AGM. It is called when a matter arises that cannot wait until the next AGM: an urgent special levy, a structural defect, a decision to ban short-term tourist lets under the 2025 LPH reform, the replacement of the property manager, or any resolution requiring a qualified majority.

Art. 16.1 of the Spanish Property Law (LPH) distinguishes between the ordinary meeting — at least once a year — and the extraordinary meeting, which may be held as often as necessary. Art. 19 LPH requires all resolutions to be recorded in minutes signed by the chairperson and secretary.

When is an extraordinary meeting called?

The most common situations justifying an extraordinary meeting in 2026 are:

• Urgent works or unbudgeted special levies. A lift breakdown, a burst soil pipe, or a structural leak may require an immediate decision.
• Decisions on short-term tourist lets (VUT). Since the reform introduced by the Fourth Final Provision of Organic Law 1/2025 of 2 January, in force from 3 April 2025, amending Arts. 7.3 and 17.12 LPH, a majority of 3/5 of owners and ownership shares may approve, restrict, condition, or prohibit short-term tourist let activity, even without any prior provision in the community’s statutes. Many communities call an extraordinary meeting to address this point before the next AGM.
• Replacement of the property manager or chairperson. If the community has lost confidence in the management board, there is no need to wait for the AGM.
• Acceptance or rejection of public grants. Programmes such as the Recovery Plan (Next Generation EU) grants have short deadlines that do not align with the ordinary meeting calendar.
• Approval of energy-efficiency works. Accessibility improvements and energy retrofits require specific majorities (3/5) and are often dealt with at extraordinary meetings due to their technical or financial urgency.
• Serious disputes with a contractor or a defaulting owner. When the community must decide whether to initiate legal proceedings.

Who can call an extraordinary meeting?

Under Art. 16.1 LPH, an extraordinary meeting may be called by:

1. The chairperson of the community, on their own initiative or at the property manager’s request.
2. 1/4 of the owners, or
3. Owners representing at least 25% of the participation shares.

If the chairperson refuses to call a meeting despite a request that meets the legal requirements, the group of requesting owners may call it directly. This is important: the property manager’s agreement is not required for a group of residents to convene an extraordinary meeting.

Notice periods for an extraordinary meeting

The LPH does not set a minimum numerical notice period for extraordinary meetings. Art. 16.3 states literally that notice must be given «with sufficient advance for it to come to the attention of all those concerned». The notice period must therefore be reasonable and sufficient to ensure that every owner can genuinely be informed of the meeting and, if they wish, attend or appoint a proxy.

This means that in cases of genuine urgency (structural damage, a non-extendable administrative deadline, a grant with an imminent expiry date, etc.), an extraordinary meeting may be called at very short notice. The only ground for challenge is a notice period so brief that it materially prevents an owner from being informed — and the courts assess this on a case-by-case basis, weighing the method of notification, the owners’ reasonable availability, and the objective urgency of the matter.

Special case: second call due to lack of quorum

If the first call of an extraordinary meeting fails to reach quorum (a majority of owners and of participation shares, pursuant to Art. 16.2 LPH) and a second call must be held within the following 8 calendar days, that second call does carry an express statutory minimum notice period of 3 calendar days (Art. 16.2 LPH).

Universal meeting: the fast-track option when all owners are present

Art. 16.3 LPH provides for a scenario that can be very useful in small communities or in genuine emergencies: the universal meeting. The law states literally that «the meeting may validly convene even without being called by the chairperson, provided that all owners are present and agree to do so.» This is the quickest and most legally robust option when owners are able to meet in person and consent to holding the meeting without prior notice.

The agenda: where most communities go wrong

The agenda of an extraordinary meeting may only contain the items for which it has been called. It is not a general meeting at which various topics are discussed: it is a specific meeting for specific matters.

Art. 16.2 LPH requires that the notice of meeting include «an indication of the matters to be discussed.» Resolutions passed on matters not expressly listed on the agenda are open to challenge under Art. 18.1(a) LPH (as being contrary to Art. 16.2). They are not automatically void, but courts regularly annul them when challenged within the time limit. This applies to the customary «any other business» item: at an extraordinary meeting, any other business cannot give rise to binding votes unless those matters appear on the agenda.

Voting majorities by type of resolution

The majorities are the same for ordinary and extraordinary meetings. Art. 17 LPH (updated by Organic Law 1/2025, in force from 3 April 2025) classifies them as follows:

• Prior notification to the community only (no meeting resolution required) — Art. 17.5 LPH: installation of electric vehicle charging points for private use in an individually owned parking space. The installation cost and electricity consumption are borne entirely by the owner concerned.
• 1/3 of owners + 1/3 of shares — Art. 17.1 LPH: shared telecommunications infrastructure (communal aerial) and installation of communal renewable energy systems.
• Simple majority (majority of owners + majority of shares) — Art. 17.2 LPH: works or measures to improve energy efficiency, works to remove architectural barriers (accessibility), and in all cases the installation of lift services (even where this entails amending the constitutive deed or the community statutes). Also applicable to most ordinary resolutions (Art. 17.7).
• 3/5 of owners + 3/5 of shares — Art. 17.3 LPH: installation or removal of communal services (concierge, caretaker, security) and other communal services of general interest. Also: letting of communal areas with no specific assigned use.
• 3/5 of owners + 3/5 of shares — Art. 17.12 LPH (as amended by the Fourth Final Provision of Organic Law 1/2025, in force from 3 April 2025): approving, restricting, conditioning, or prohibiting short-term tourist let activity as defined in Art. 5(e) of the Urban Lettings Act (LAU), whether or not this entails amending the constitutive deed or the community statutes. The same 3/5 majority is required to establish special service charges or an increase in the share of communal expenses attributable to the dwelling used for such activity (subject to a cap of 20%). These resolutions are not retroactive: short-term tourist lets that were lawfully operating before 3 April 2025 in accordance with the applicable sectoral tourism regulations may continue to do so.
• Unanimity — Art. 17.6 LPH: amendment of the constitutive deed or the community statutes, except in matters for which the LPH itself prescribes a different specific majority.

Residual simple majority — Art. 17.7 LPH: «For the validity of all other resolutions, a vote in favour by a majority of all owners who also represent a majority of the participation shares shall suffice.» This is the default rule for all resolutions not covered by the preceding paragraphs (ordinary budgets, service charges, routine service contracts, change of property manager, etc.).

Special cases: mandatory accessibility works — Art. 10.1(b) LPH

Accessibility works necessary to meet the needs of residents with disabilities or over the age of 70 are mandatory and require no prior meeting resolution, provided both of the following conditions are met:

• The works are requested by owners or occupants with disabilities or over the age of 70 (who live, work, or carry out voluntary activities in the building), and
• The annual cost per owner, after deducting any public grants or subsidies, does not exceed twelve ordinary monthly service charge payments.

If the public grants available to the community cover 75% or more of the cost of the works, the works are also mandatory.

Extraordinary owners’ meeting minutes template

Extraordinary meeting minutes follow the same formal structure as ordinary AGM minutes. For reference, we have prepared a downloadable owners’ meeting minutes template covering all the sections required by the LPH, valid for both ordinary and extraordinary meetings. When dealing with an extraordinary meeting, only two details need to be adjusted:

1. Clearly state «Extraordinary Meeting» in the heading of the minutes, together with the reason for the urgency (if applicable).
2. Record the date, method of notification, and notice period given. If notice was short, document the specific reason that justified the chosen period (urgency, a non-extendable administrative deadline, etc.).

Common errors that invalidate extraordinary meeting minutes

• Giving insufficient notice for the meeting to come to the attention of all those concerned. Art. 16.3 LPH does not set a minimum numerical notice period for extraordinary meetings, but it does require that the notice be sufficient. A manifestly inadequate notice period (e.g. a few hours, without reasonable prior notification, or during a holiday period) may be grounds for challenge for up to one year (Art. 18 LPH).
• Passing resolutions on matters not included on the agenda. Any such resolution is open to challenge under Art. 18.1(a) LPH (as being contrary to Art. 16.2). Courts regularly annul them when challenged within the time limit.
• Failing to close the minutes with the chairperson’s and secretary’s signatures within 10 calendar days of the meeting. Art. 19.3 LPH requires the minutes to be signed either at the end of the meeting or within the following 10 calendar days. Once signed, they must be sent to all owners in accordance with the procedure set out in Art. 9 LPH. Without proper notification, resolutions may not be enforceable against absent owners.
• Mixing AGM items with extraordinary meeting items. If you wish to approve the annual budget at an extraordinary meeting, formally record that the meeting is also acting as the AGM for that purpose.
• Failing to record the exact majorities for each vote. Without the votes for/against/abstaining, the minutes are open to challenge on procedural grounds.

Managing extraordinary meetings in 2026: going digital

Extraordinary meetings are, by definition, urgent. And urgency sits poorly with manual processes: notifying 50 owners by email plus recorded post, receiving proxy forms via WhatsApp, drafting the minutes from scratch in Word, collecting physical signatures… what should be a decision taken within 48 hours can easily become a three-week process.

Modern property management software platforms enable you to:

• Automatically notify all owners with digital delivery confirmation.
• Facilitate secure remote voting during or before the meeting (expressly permitted under LPH 2025).
• Automatically generate minutes from the votes cast.
• Obtain recognised electronic signatures from the chairperson and secretary.
• Automatically distribute the signed minutes to all owners within 24 hours of the meeting.

What previously took 10 days now takes hours. And what was formerly vulnerable to procedural challenge is protected by a full digital audit trail.

Frequently asked questions

Can an extraordinary meeting be held 100% online?

The LPH does not expressly regulate fully remote meetings. Legal practice accepts that meetings may be held by video conference with adequate safeguards (reliable identification of owners, recording and audit trail of votes, retention of the recording, data protection compliance), provided the community’s statutes permit it or all owners consent. The safest and most widely used option today is an in-person meeting with optional remote attendance, with the statutes amended to expressly provide for this format. Before adopting a fully online format, it is advisable to seek guidance from a registered property manager.

What quorum does an extraordinary meeting require?

The LPH does not require a minimum quorum at first call, except for resolutions requiring a qualified majority (3/5 or unanimity). At second call, the meeting is valid regardless of the number of attendees.

Who can challenge resolutions passed at an extraordinary meeting?

Under Art. 18.2 LPH, only the following persons have standing to challenge: (a) owners who voted against the resolution at the meeting, (b) owners who were absent for any reason, and (c) owners who were wrongfully deprived of their right to vote. An owner who voted in favour of a resolution cannot subsequently challenge it. Furthermore, the owner must be up to date with any outstanding debts to the community, or alternatively make a prior judicial deposit of the amounts owed (this requirement does not apply to challenges against resolutions establishing or amending participation shares).

Does the property manager have to be present at an extraordinary meeting?

There is no legal obligation, but it is highly advisable: the property manager typically acts as secretary and holds the financial, contractual, and technical documentation needed to properly inform the community.

How much does calling an extraordinary meeting cost?

This depends on the contract with the property manager. Most contracts include one or two meetings per year (the AGM plus one extraordinary meeting) and charge separately for any additional meetings. Average cost in 2026: €150–€400 per extraordinary meeting, depending on the size of the community.

You may also find these useful

• Owners’ meeting minutes: legal format and free template
• How to call an online owners’ meeting: legal requirements
• Spanish Property Law (LPH) explained
• Property management software in Spain: 2026 guide
• Request a free FixrOS demo

Official sources: Law 49/1960 on Horizontal Property — consolidated text on the BOE · Arts. 16 (notice of meeting), 17 (majorities), 18 (challenge), 19 (minutes) · Organic Law 1/2025 (LPH reform, in force from 3 April 2025)

This content provides general legal guidance based on current legislation. For advice on specific situations, please consult a registered property manager or legal adviser.

Conclusion: the extraordinary meeting is a tool, not a problem

Properly convened and properly documented, the extraordinary meeting is the most effective tool a community has for making fast decisions without waiting for the regular meeting calendar. Poorly convened, it becomes a source of legal challenges and disputes.

The difference between the two usually comes down to the details: adequate notice, a tightly defined agenda, precise recording of voting majorities, and timely distribution of the signed minutes. If your practice manages several communities, automating these processes is not a luxury — it is the only reliable way to ensure that no meeting ends up in court over an avoidable procedural error.

Request a free FixrOS demo and we will show you how to manage extraordinary meetings with remote voting, automatic minutes generation, and digital signatures within 24 hours of the meeting.