The minutes of an owners' meeting (acta de la junta) are signed by the president and the secretary when the meeting ends or within the following ten calendar days, and from that moment the decisions can be carried out (art. 19.3 LPH). They are then sent to every owner using the procedure in article 9: the address each owner gave or, failing that, their flat. The law sets no deadline for sending them, but sending them starts the clock for absent owners.
What must the minutes say?
Article 19.2 of the Horizontal Property Act (Ley de Propiedad Horizontal, LPH), the law that governs communities of owners (comunidades de propietarios), sets the minimum content. The minutes of each meeting must state, at least:
- The date and place of the meeting.
- Who called it and, where relevant, the owners who asked for it.
- Whether it was an ordinary or extraordinary meeting, and whether it was held at the first or second call.
- A list of everyone who attended and their roles, and of the owners who were represented, always with their ownership shares (cuotas de participación).
- The agenda.
- The decisions taken and, where it matters for their validity, the names of those who voted for and against, with the shares they represent.
Article 15.2 adds one more item: the minutes "reflejará los propietarios privados del derecho de voto" (will record the owners deprived of the right to vote) because they are behind with payments, and their person and share do not count towards the majorities.
Point 6 is the one that decides most disputes. When a decision needs a specific majority (three fifths, or a majority of owners and of shares), the minutes must make it possible to check that the majority was reached. You will see real cases below.
Who writes the minutes and who signs them?
The law does not say who writes them, but it does say who signs: the president (presidente) and the secretary (secretario) (article 19.3). And who keeps the minute book: the secretary (article 19.4).
Who the secretary is depends on the community. If the statutes or the meeting have not appointed anyone, the president also performs the roles of secretary and administrator (article 13.5). It is common for the property manager (administrador de fincas) to act as secretary: article 20.e gives them the task of "actuar, en su caso, como secretario de la Junta y custodiar a disposición de los titulares la documentación de la comunidad" (acting, where applicable, as secretary of the meeting and keeping the community's documents available to the owners). In that case they sign as secretary, alongside the president.
What is the deadline for signing them?
Ten calendar days. Article 19.3 says the minutes "deberá cerrarse con las firmas del presidente y del secretario al terminar la reunión o dentro de los diez días naturales siguientes" (must be closed with the signatures of the president and the secretary when the meeting ends or within the following ten calendar days). Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays all count.
For example: if the meeting is held on Monday 1 March 2027, the last day to close the minutes is Thursday 11 March.
Closing the minutes has an important practical effect: "Desde su cierre los acuerdos serán ejecutivos, salvo que la Ley previere lo contrario" (from closure, the decisions are enforceable unless the law provides otherwise). Until the minutes are signed, the property manager should not carry out the decisions.
What if they are signed late? We have not found a clear rule from the courts on signing after the ten days. The Asturias Provincial Court, in judgment 455/2022, noted that case law "ha prescindido de los excesos del formalismo" (has set aside excessive formalism) when the owners' wishes were properly expressed and voted, because owners "son ajenos a la diligencia de la firma por parte de su presidente o secretario" (have nothing to do with how diligently the president or secretary signs). That is no licence to be late: if the minutes contain errors, they can only be corrected if both have signed (see the section on errors).
Is there a deadline for sending them to the owners?
The LPH does not set one. Article 19.3 only says "el acta de las reuniones se remitirá a los propietarios de acuerdo con el procedimiento establecido en el artículo 9" (the minutes will be sent to the owners following the procedure in article 9). They go to every owner, not just those who were absent.
No deadline does not mean timing is irrelevant. For absent owners, the date they receive the minutes starts two periods:
- 30 calendar days to object. Absent owners who were properly summoned and who, "una vez informados del acuerdo adoptado por los presentes, conforme al procedimiento establecido en el artículo 9" (once informed of the decision taken by those present, following the article 9 procedure), do not tell the secretary they disagree within 30 calendar days are counted as votes in favour (article 17.8). There are exceptions: it does not apply when the cost cannot be charged to those who did not vote in favour, or when the work is for one owner's private use.
- The deadline to challenge. A legal challenge must be brought within three months, or one year if the decision breaches the law or the statutes. For absent owners, "dicho plazo se computará a partir de la comunicación del acuerdo" (that period runs from when the decision is communicated) (article 18.3).
One nuance: not objecting within the 30 days does not take away an absent owner's right to challenge. The Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo) restates this in its judgment 844/2026 of 2 June, citing its earlier case law: even without objecting within those thirty days, "el comunero no quedaba privado de legitimación" (the owner did not lose standing).
The deadlines at a glance
| What | Period | From when | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign and close the minutes | 10 calendar days | Day after the meeting | Art. 19.3 LPH |
| Send the minutes | No legal deadline | Art. 19.3 LPH | |
| Absent owners' objection | 30 calendar days | From being informed of the decision | Art. 17.8 LPH |
| Challenge (general rule) | 3 months | The decision; for absent owners, when it is communicated | Art. 18.3 LPH |
| Challenge (breach of law or statutes) | 1 year | As above | Art. 18.3 LPH |
| Correct errors in the minutes | Before the next meeting | Art. 19.3 LPH | |
| Keep notices and communications | 5 years | Art. 19.4 LPH |
Why does proving the delivery date matter?
Because if you cannot prove the date, you cannot prove the periods have run out. Two cases show it.
In the first, the community had proof. The Asturias Provincial Court, sitting in Gijón (judgment 571/2026), held that an owner who lived in the building and said they had received nothing had been notified: the property manager certified, and testified at trial, that they had personally put the copy of the minutes in the owner's letterbox "en la forma habitual" (in the usual way). The court noted that the LPH "no exige una forma determinada" (requires no particular form) to record receipt, and that the community could not be blamed because the letterbox was "reventado" (overflowing) or because the owner "no lo mira" (does not look at it).
In the second, the date was missing. In judgment 214/2024 of the Alicante Provincial Court, only four owners attended a meeting in May 2018, and the decision was recorded as unanimous by counting absent owners' votes as in favour. One absent owner voted against and said they received the minutes on 4 July. The property manager had left them in that owner's letterbox, but nobody could establish when. As there was no proof the minutes arrived before 10 June, "más allá de meros indicios" (beyond mere indications), the court could not find that the vote came after the 30 days, and there was no unanimity.
How do you send them so they count?
The same way as a meeting notice. Article 9.1.h sets the order: the address in Spain the owner gave the secretary; if they gave none, their flat or premises, where handing it to the occupant counts; and only if delivery there is impossible, the community noticeboard (tablón de anuncios), with a note signed by the secretary and approved by the president, which takes effect after three calendar days.
The Supreme Court, in judgment 572/2020, calls this "un orden jerárquico de necesaria observancia" (a mandatory order of priority) and puts the burden of proving the notice on the community. It said this about meeting notices, but the minutes are sent by the same procedure, so it makes sense to apply the same discipline.
Which method to use and what each one proves is covered in our guide to the notificación fehaciente (a notice you can prove was received, when and with what content) and, for email and WhatsApp, in owners' meeting notice by WhatsApp or email. The key point for minutes is this: choose a method that leaves a date, above all for absent owners and for anyone in dispute with the community.
What personal data can the minutes you send to everyone contain?
What the law requires, and nothing more. The Spanish Data Protection Agency's guide for property managers (AEPD), which the agency itself marks as under review, says that sending minutes must respect the data minimisation principle: only data that are "adecuados, pertinentes y limitados" (adequate, relevant and limited). As examples of what should not be shared, it gives directories with owners' home addresses or their bank account numbers.
On owners in arrears, the same guide considers that the LPH's legal basis "únicamente justifica su inclusión en la Convocatoria de la Junta de Propietarios y en el acta que de la misma se concluya" (only justifies including them in the meeting notice and in the resulting minutes). In other words: the list of owners without a vote goes in the minutes, but should not be circulated through other channels.
Can you correct minutes with errors?
Yes, with conditions. Article 19.3 allows "los defectos o errores del acta" (defects or errors in the minutes) to be corrected as long as the minutes clearly state the date and place, the owners attending in person or represented, and the decisions with the votes for and against and the corresponding shares, and are signed by the president and the secretary. The correction must be made before the next meeting, "que deberá ratificar la subsanación" (which must ratify the correction).
If the essentials are missing, there is no fix. Three recent judgments show this, with somewhat different approaches:
| Provincial Court | What the minutes lacked | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Madrid, judgment 127/2024 | No place; attendees, votes and shares not identified. One item appeared "por unanimidad" (unanimous) without ever being voted on | Upholds the nullity of the minutes: "defectos esenciales que impiden su efectividad" (essential defects that prevent them taking effect) |
| Alicante (Elche), judgment 688/2024 | No breakdown of votes on renewing the lease of the roof terrace for a phone mast, which needed three fifths | Annuls the decision: the omission "determina la nulidad del acuerdo alcanzado al no reflejarse si se cumplió con el sistema de mayorías" (makes the decision void because the minutes do not show the majority rules were met) |
| Asturias (Oviedo), judgment 455/2022 | Said "por mayoría" (by majority) with no names; did not say whether it was the first or second call | Formal defects alone do not void decisions, but the decision lacked a majority of owners and is annulled |
The Oviedo court explains the underlying idea: the minutes have "un valor ad probationem" (evidential value), so a defect affects the proof of the decision, not its existence; there, the majorities were checked using a recording of the meeting. Madrid, by contrast, upheld the nullity of the minutes as a whole. The practical advice is the same: record who votes for what and with which share whenever a decision needs a specific majority.
Record abstentions precisely too, because they decide who can challenge. In the same judgment 844/2026, the Supreme Court recalls that the requirement to "salvar el voto" (formally reserve your position) applies only to owners who abstain, not to those who vote against. In that case, several owners present said they would not vote "en ningún sentido" (either way), and the minutes recorded it like that: for the Supreme Court, that was not reserving their position, and they had no standing to challenge.
Where are the minutes kept? The minute book
Decisions go into a minute book (libro de actas) "diligenciado por el Registrador de la Propiedad" (stamped by the Land Registrar) (article 19.1). Under article 415 of the Mortgage Regulations (Reglamento Hipotecario), the book is stamped before use at the Land Registry for the district where the building is, and a new one cannot be stamped until the previous one is shown to be full. If it is lost, the president or secretary must state, before a notary or the Registrar, that the owners have been told of its disappearance or that the theft has been reported.
The secretary keeps the books and must keep for five years "las convocatorias, comunicaciones, apoderamientos y demás documentos relevantes de las reuniones" (the notices, communications, proxies and other relevant documents of the meetings) (article 19.4). That includes the proof of sending the minutes.
What about an electronic minute book? The LPH does not provide for one. Bill 122/000240 (Proposición de Ley) proposed that "el libro de actas podrá llevarse en formato y soporte electrónico" (the minute book may be kept in electronic format), but it lapsed when Royal Decree 806/2026, published on 6 October 2026, dissolved Parliament (art. 207 of the Congress Rules). Its parliamentary record shows it as "Concluido - (Caducado)" (closed, lapsed).
What if the community is in Catalonia?
There, book five of the Catalan Civil Code applies, with shorter deadlines. The secretary and the president sign the minutes "en el plazo de cinco días a contar desde el día después de la reunión" (within five days from the day after the meeting) (article 553-27.1), and they go to every owner within ten days from the day after the meeting (article 553-27.4). The book is registered at the Land Registry (article 553-28), and the periods to challenge run "desde la notificación del acta o del anexo del acta" (from notification of the minutes or their annex) (article 553-31.4). If your community is governed by another region's own civil law, check that law too.
Template minutes for an owners' meeting
Adapt it to your community. Text in square brackets is for you to fill in or choose. This is an English version so you can see what each part does; if your community keeps its minutes in Spanish, the Spanish version of this article has the same template in Spanish.
MINUTES OF THE [ORDINARY / EXTRAORDINARY] GENERAL MEETING OF THE COMMUNITY OF OWNERS [NAME]
At [exact place], at [time] on [date], the [ordinary / extraordinary] general meeting of the Community of Owners [name], [building address], meets at the [first / second] call, convened by [the president, Mr/Ms name] [or: the owners who requested it, Mr/Ms names, under article 16.1 of the Horizontal Property Act].
CHAIR: Mr/Ms [name], president.
SECRETARY: Mr/Ms [name], [secretary / secretary and property manager].ATTENDANCE
Flat or premises Owner In person or represented by Share [1A] [Name] [In person] [x.xx%] [2B] [Name] [Represented by Mr/Ms name, with signed letter] [x.xx%] Total: [number] owners, representing [x.xx]% of the shares.
OWNERS WITHOUT A VOTE (ART. 15.2 LPH): [Flat or premises and name] / [None].
AGENDA
- [Item, exactly as in the meeting notice].
- [Item].
- Any other business.
PROCEEDINGS AND DECISIONS
Item 1. [Title]. [Short summary of the discussion].
Put to the vote with the following result:
- For: [flats, names and shares], totalling [number] owners and [x.xx]% of the shares.
- Against: [flats, names and shares].
- Abstentions: [flats, names and shares]. [State whether anyone formally reserves their position].
DECISION: [Exact wording of the decision]. Majority required: [the one that applies and the article]. [Reached / Not reached at the meeting; absent owners will be informed under article 17.8 LPH].
Item 2. [Title]. [Same structure].
Item 3. Any other business. [Summary. No decisions are taken under this item].
There being no further business, the meeting closes at [time], which I, as secretary, certify with the approval of the president.
[Signature] The president: [name]
[Signature] The secretary: [name]Date of closing and signature: [date, within the ten calendar days after the meeting].
When you send them, add one line reminding absent owners that they have 30 calendar days to tell the secretary they disagree (article 17.8). The law does not require it, but it avoids arguments about whether they knew what they could do.
A routine that works
- During the meeting, keep an attendance sheet with flats, shares and proxies, and note each vote with names and shares.
- Within the next ten calendar days, draft the minutes, check they have the six items in article 19.2 and get them signed by the president and the secretary.
- Send them to everyone at the address each owner gave, using a method that leaves a date, especially for absent owners.
- Note each absent owner's date of receipt: their 30 days and their deadline to challenge run from it.
- Keep the proof for five years with the minutes.
For owners who have given an email address, we built certified email: it sends the minutes to the whole list at once from your firm's own domain and records, for each owner, delivery, opening of the message and download of the document, with date, time and IP address. Each document carries a SHA-256 fingerprint that can be checked on a public page. Opening is indicative; the download is the strong evidence. It is not a qualified service under the eIDAS Regulation nor a fehaciente notice, and it does not replace a burofax (Correos' certified delivery): if disputed, a judge weighs it freely as electronic evidence (article 43.1 eIDAS and article 326.3 of the Civil Procedure Act).
If you manage many communities, much of this routine can be automated: we explain how in automation for property managers. And for the meeting notice, which comes before the minutes, there is the meeting notice template with the arrears list and the owners' meeting notice period. To set the next meeting, our owners' meeting notice calculator gives you the earliest safe date from the day the notice arrives.
Frequently asked questions
How long is there to sign the minutes of an owners' meeting?
Ten calendar days from the day after the meeting, counting weekends and public holidays. They can also be signed when the meeting ends. Until the minutes are closed with both signatures, the decisions cannot be carried out.
Do the minutes also have to go to owners who attended?
Yes. Article 19.3 LPH says the minutes "se remitirá a los propietarios" (will be sent to the owners), without distinction. For absent owners, sending them is also the point from which their 30 days to object and their deadline to challenge run.
Can the property manager sign the minutes?
If they act as secretary of the meeting, yes, as secretary and alongside the president. Article 20.e LPH allows them to hold that role. If the property manager is not the secretary, the president and whoever was appointed secretary sign.
What happens if an absent owner does not reply within 30 days?
As a rule, their vote counts in favour of the decision (article 17.8), except when the cost cannot be charged to those who did not vote in favour or the work is for one owner's private use. Even so, the Supreme Court notes that they do not lose the right to challenge the decision.
Can the minutes be sent by email?
The law refers to article 9, which speaks of the address in Spain the owner gave, or their flat. Email works when the owner designated it and it is the channel really in use, as long as you can prove it arrived. We explain this in owners' meeting notice by WhatsApp or email.
Sources
- Horizontal Property Act (Ley 49/1960, de Propiedad Horizontal), arts. 9, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19 and 20.
- Mortgage Regulations (Reglamento Hipotecario, Decree of 14 February 1947), art. 415.
- Law 5/2006, book five of the Civil Code of Catalonia, arts. 553-27, 553-28 and 553-31.
- Civil Procedure Act (Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil), art. 326, and Regulation (EU) 910/2014 (eIDAS), art. 43.
- Royal Decree 806/2026 of 5 October, and Rules of the Congress of Deputies, art. 207.
- Bill 122/000240: text (BOCG 285-1) and parliamentary record.
- AEPD, Protección de datos y administración de fincas (under review), sections 7.1 and 7.2.
- Supreme Court: judgment 572/2020 of 3 November and judgment 844/2026 of 2 June.
- Provincial Courts: Alicante, Section 5, judgment 214/2024; Alicante, Section 9 (Elche), judgment 688/2024; Asturias, Section 6 (Oviedo), judgment 455/2022; Asturias, Section 7 (Gijón), judgment 571/2026; Madrid, Section 10, judgment 127/2024.
This article explains the law and published court criteria as of the update date. It is not a substitute for advice from a lawyer on a specific case.