The owners meeting (Eigentümerversammlung) is the decision-making body of a German WEG. The manager convenes it at least once a year; notice must be in text form and should reach owners at least three weeks ahead unless the matter is urgent (§ 24 WEG). Every properly convened meeting can pass resolutions, normally by simple majority.
Here the owners decide on the common property, from the annual budget through maintenance works to the appointment of the manager. Convening, notice period, the ability to pass resolutions and the majorities all follow clear statutory rules that were significantly modernised by the 2020 WEG reform (WEMoG). This guide explains the procedure step by step, with the relevant provisions from § 23, § 24 and § 25 WEG.
What is the owners meeting and why is it central?
In a condominium owners association each owner holds their flat as separate property (Sondereigentum), while the roof, facade, stairwell, heating system and land belong to everyone jointly (common property, gemeinschaftliches Eigentum). No one can decide about this common property alone. Decisions are taken by the owners together, and this happens in principle through resolutions passed at a meeting (§ 23 (1) WEG).
The owners meeting is therefore the heart of self-administration. It is where the community’s money, structural measures, the house rules and the appointment of the manager are decided. A resolution validly passed at the meeting binds all owners, including those who were absent or voted against it. That is precisely why the formalities matter so much: a procedural error can lead a court to declare a resolution invalid.
Convening the meeting: who calls it?
The meeting is convened by the manager at least once a year (§ 24 (1) WEG). The manager is also obliged to convene a meeting if more than a quarter of the owners request it in text form (Textform, an email suffices), stating the purpose and the reasons (§ 24 (2) WEG).
If there is no manager or the manager refuses in breach of duty to convene the meeting, the law provides a fallback: the chair of the advisory board (Verwaltungsbeirat), the deputy chair, or an owner authorised by resolution may convene the meeting (§ 24 (3) WEG). The advisory board is the body appointed by the owners to support and supervise the manager (§ 29 WEG). This keeps the community able to act even during a period without a manager.
For the very first meeting of a new scheme the statute names no deadline for when it must take place. The community of owners comes into being as soon as the individual land register sheets (Wohnungsgrundbücher) are opened (§ 9a (1) sentence 2 WEG), normally long before anyone moves in, and its only member at first is the dividing owner. From when a buyer in a new build may vote, how long the first manager may be appointed for and what belongs on that first agenda is set out in our guide to the first owners meeting in a new build.
Notice period: at least three weeks
Notice is given in text form, and the notice period should be at least three weeks, unless there is a case of particular urgency (§ 24 (4) WEG). What matters is when the invitation reaches the owner, not the date it was sent. How those three weeks are counted in the calendar, what text form allows and what a defective notice means for the resolutions is set out in our guide to the notice of an owners meeting.
The agenda
With the invitation the manager sends the agenda (Tagesordnung). It lists the items to be voted on. This has a concrete legal basis: a resolution requires that the subject matter was named in the notice (§ 23 (2) WEG). As a rule no binding resolution may be passed on items that were not announced, so that owners can prepare and decide whether to attend.
The agenda items should be worded specifically enough for every owner to understand what is at stake. A blanket heading such as “any other business” does not support a resolution; under that heading only discussion and information are permissible, not a binding vote.
Procedure and chair
The chair of the meeting is the manager, unless the meeting resolves otherwise (§ 24 (5) WEG). The chair runs the session, sets out the agenda, conducts the votes and announces the results.
A typical sequence:
- Opening and confirmation that the meeting was properly convened
- Recording attendance and the votes represented
- Dealing with the agenda items, with discussion and voting
- Announcement of the results by the chair
- Closing the meeting
The announcement of the result by the chair is more than a formality: only with it does the resolution come into being as a challengeable legal act.
How long does an owners meeting take?
There is no statutory maximum length. In practice a meeting for a property of 20 to 40 units with an ordinary agenda takes one and a half to three hours. Small communities are often finished in under an hour, while large properties with refurbishment resolutions can fill an entire evening.
As a rough guide for a property of that size:
| Part of the meeting | typical time |
|---|---|
| Opening, attendance, proxies | 10 to 20 minutes |
| Reports from manager and advisory board | 15 to 30 minutes |
| Annual statement, budget, discharge | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Maintenance and refurbishment resolutions | 30 to 60 minutes |
| Any other business without a vote | 10 to 20 minutes |
The size of the property sets the range; where a meeting lands within it is decided by the preparation. The chair keeps discussion and voting apart instead of mixing the two. An agenda that sets out the wording of each motion saves discussion about formulations, and quotes, accounting documents and the asset report go out with the invitation, so that nothing is read aloud that everyone could have read at home.
For demanding projects such as a facade refurbishment or a boiler replacement, a separate information session beforehand pays off. Questions can be settled there without time pressure, and the meeting itself then needs only a few minutes for the resolution.
Ability to pass resolutions: no more quorum
This is one of the most important changes brought by the WEMoG. Under the old law a meeting could only pass resolutions if the owners present represented more than half of the co-ownership shares. If they did not, a second meeting had to be convened, a frequent stumbling block.
Since 1 December 2020 this has changed: every properly convened owners meeting can pass resolutions, regardless of how many owners attend. In its current version § 25 WEG no longer contains a quorum or a minimum attendance requirement. A meeting with only a few people present can therefore pass valid resolutions. This strengthens the community’s ability to act, but it also increases the incentive to attend in person or to appoint a proxy.
Passing resolutions and majorities
When passing resolutions, the majority of the votes cast decides (§ 25 (1) WEG). This is a simple majority: what counts is whether more yes votes than no votes were cast. Abstentions and invalid votes do not count, having no effect either for or against the motion.
In principle each owner has one vote (the per-head principle under § 25 (2) WEG); where a unit of condominium ownership belongs to several persons jointly, they may exercise the voting right only uniformly. The community rules may, however, provide for a different voting principle, for example by co-ownership shares (the value principle) or by objects. Which principle applies follows from the declaration of partition (Teilungserklärung) and community rules of the particular property.
The simple majority is the statutory default. For certain especially far-reaching decisions the law requires higher majorities:
| Subject of the resolution | Required majority | Provision |
|---|---|---|
| Day-to-day administration, budget, maintenance | simple majority of the votes cast | § 25 (1) WEG |
| Introducing purely virtual meetings | at least three quarters of the votes cast | § 23 (1a) WEG |
| Resolution by written circulation | as a rule the consent of all owners in text form | § 23 (3) WEG |
For more on the types of resolution and their requirements, see our article on WEG resolutions.
Representation and power of attorney
If you cannot attend in person, you may appoint a proxy; to be valid, the power of attorney must be in text form (Textform, § 25 (3) WEG). The WEG names no circle of permitted proxies, but an agreement in the community rules (Gemeinschaftsordnung) often narrows it. Whom you may appoint, how far such clauses reach, what applies when the manager holds the proxy and whether a defective proxy makes the resolution void or merely voidable is set out in our guide to proxy and representation at the owners meeting.
An owner is excluded from voting only in the narrow cases of § 25 (4) WEG, for example where the resolution concerns a legal transaction of the community with that owner or a legal dispute against them.
Hybrid and virtual meetings
The owners may resolve that owners may take part in the meeting without being present at its venue and may exercise rights by means of electronic communication (§ 23 (1) sentence 2 WEG); that is the hybrid meeting, which keeps its venue. The purely virtual meeting without a venue requires at least three quarters of the votes cast, runs for no more than three years from the resolution, and must be comparable to an in-person meeting (Präsenzversammlung) in terms of participation and the exercise of rights (§ 23 (1a) WEG). Which technology that presupposes, until when an in-person meeting must additionally be held and what applies when a connection drops is set out in our guide to virtual and hybrid owners meetings.
Minutes
Minutes of the resolutions passed at the meeting must be taken without undue delay (§ 24 (6) WEG). The minutes document the resolutions with their voting results and form the basis for what later applies and what may, where appropriate, be challenged.
The minutes must be signed by the chair, one owner and, where an advisory board exists, by its chair or deputy. Every owner has the right to inspect the minutes. Because the period for challenging resolutions is short, the minutes should be prepared and circulated promptly.
What customarily goes into the minutes beyond the resolutions, how far the right of inspection reaches, what to do about minutes that are wrong and why the resolution record is a different document resting on a different provision is set out in our guide to the minutes of an owners meeting.
Owners meetings in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region
In Frankfurt and surrounding municipalities such as Offenbach, Bad Homburg or Eschborn the same federal rules apply, since the WEG is federal law. Regional features arise in practice: in a city with many let condominiums and non-resident owners, hybrid and virtual formats make participation considerably easier.
Some of those owners read the notice, the budget and the minutes in a language that is not their own. Which English wording fits which German term, and where that wording misleads, is set out in our glossary of German property terms.
A carefully prepared, properly convened and cleanly minuted meeting is the best insurance against challenges and disputes. This is precisely where professional condominium management in Frankfurt comes in, from correct notice through legally sound resolutions to implementation. Anyone who values verified quality looks for certified property management.
Sources
Editorial responsibility: digo.immo Verwaltung & Invest - certified residential property manager under § 26a WEG (IHK Frankfurt), licence under § 34c GewO. About the certification
This article provides general information only and does not replace individual legal advice. It was created with AI assistance; the legal statements have been checked against the official texts of the law. Legal status: 26/08/2026; laws and case law may change. No warranty is given as to completeness, accuracy or timeliness. When in doubt, please seek qualified advice.