What is in VvE minutes, and what do you look for as a buyer?

What exactly are VvE minutes?

Minutes are the written record of the General Meeting of Members (ALV). At least once a year all apartment owners come together to adopt the annual accounts, approve the budget and decide on maintenance. Everything decided there ends up in the minutes, which makes them the most honest document you can read about an association. The sales brochure tells you what the building looks like; the minutes tell you what it is going to cost.

Important to know: a decision the general meeting took before you became an owner applies to you too. If the meeting decided last year on a facade renovation with a one-off levy of €9.000 per apartment, you inherit that obligation. That is exactly why you want to read them.

Which minutes do you request?

Ask for the minutes of the last three years. One year is not enough: topics shift from meeting to meeting, and it is precisely a problem that keeps returning for three years without a solution that is the signal you are looking for. Also ask for:

• the most recent annual accounts and balance sheet (which show the balance of the reserve fund);
• the long-term maintenance plan (MJOP) and the date it was drawn up;
• the deed of division and the division regulations;
• the current buildings insurance policy.

Are you not getting those documents, or only "the most important pages"? That is information in itself. A well-run association simply has these documents ready.

Seven things to watch for

1. Announced major expenditure. Roof, facade, window frames, lift, drainage and foundation are the items that can run into tens of thousands of euros per apartment. If such an item is on the agenda, immediately check how the reserve fund is doing.
2. The level and trend of the contribution. Not just what you pay now, but whether that monthly contribution has risen sharply recently, and why.
3. Recurring complaints. Leaks, damp, draughts, cracks, subsidence. One report is bad luck; the same report in three consecutive meetings is deferred maintenance.
4. Disputes and proceedings. A drawn-out dispute with a contractor, the municipality or a fellow owner costs money and years.
5. Arrears from members. If several owners do not pay, the rest carry the costs. This is often hidden under "receivables" in the annual accounts.
6. Decisions on sustainability measures. Insulation, a heat pump or solar panels are good news, but with a price tag you want to know about.
7. The maintenance budget versus reality. If the association structurally spends less than budgeted, maintenance is being postponed rather than carried out.

Red flags you should not ignore

A few patterns almost always point to costs later on:

• The association does not meet. No minutes across several years means no decisions, no maintenance and no oversight of the finances. This is called a "dormant VvE" and is a real risk, for your mortgage application too, because some lenders set requirements for an active association.
• No current MJOP. Without a maintenance plan, every reserve contribution is a guess. Since 1 January 2026 this is also checked more strictly.
• Decisions keep getting postponed. "To be discussed at the next meeting", three years running. The problem does not go away, the bill grows.
• An urgent recommendation that was never followed up. Do the minutes say an expert advised a foundation survey that never happened? Then that is your open question.

How do you read them in practice?

Minutes are dull and long, and the interesting part is rarely filed under a heading called "risk". An approach that gets results quickly:

1. First search each document for the words reserve fund, MJOP, quote, one-off levy, leak, foundation and arrears.
2. Then read only the agenda items "finances" and "maintenance" for each year.
3. Put the amounts from the last three years side by side. The trend says more than a single item.

What do you ask the agent?

If you cannot work it out, ask concrete questions instead of "how is the association doing?". For example: what is the current balance of the reserve fund? When was the MJOP last updated? Have any decisions been taken on a one-off levy? Are there any ongoing disputes? A selling agent has to answer questions like these, and the answer serves you better in writing than verbally.