The duty to convene and participate in management committee meetings

In Tzeng Li Wen Judy v Tam Lup Wai Franky ([2013] 2 HKLRD 790, LT) one member of a management committee brought proceedings against the chairman complaining that meetings had not been held every three months as required by schedule 2 of the Building Management Ordinance. The chairman sought to have the proceedings struck out on the grounds that the proceedings should have been brought against the management committee as a whole, that there was no business to discuss and there had been an agreement that no meeting was necessary. This striking out application failed. The management committee was not a separate legal entity capable of being sued ([19]). The chairman had a duty to convene a meeting every three months (though of course he could not compel anyone to attend) ([24]) and on the face of it he was in breach of this duty.

The action against the secretary was struck out. The secretary only had a duty to convene a meeting if requested to do so by two committee members and the secretary had received no such request ([27]).

The action against the corporation was struck out since it had no power to convene a meeting of the committee ([28]).

The members of a management committee are under a duty to participate so far as reasonable in the operation of the corporation and part of this duty is to attend management committee meetings ([24]).

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Tags: management commitee, meetings, Michael Lower, owners corporation