Voting majorities at the general meeting of a French copropriété

Why does the same lobby renovation sail through in the building next door and stall in yours, with an almost identical show of hands? Because at the general meeting of a French copropriété, the majority required depends on what is being voted, and a few absentees can tip the scales depending on the applicable article. There is good news for projects that fall just short: if a resolution governed by article 25 gathers at least one third of the votes of all co-owners, the bridge of article 25-1 requires an immediate second vote, this time by the simple majority of article 24.

The French law of 10 July 1965 organises the essentials around three articles (24, 25 and 26) plus unanimity for the heaviest decisions. Knowing which one applies before the meeting is already half the vote.

What is decided by the simple majority of article 24?

Article 24 is the default regime: anything the law does not expressly reserve for a stronger majority is voted under it. Its counting rule is the gentlest of all: a majority of the votes cast by co-owners who are present, represented or voting by post. Absentees who gave no proxy and sent no postal vote carry no weight at all.

This majority covers, among other things:

• Routine upkeep and works needed to preserve the building
• Approval of the accounts and the provisional budget
• Accessibility works for people with disabilities or reduced mobility, as long as they do not affect the building structure
• Works made compulsory by law or regulation

That is why a leaking roof should never stay blocked: preserving the building is decided with the votes of those who actually showed up, quite literally.

What does the absolute majority of article 25 require?

Article 25 raises the bar: it requires a majority of the votes of all co-owners, present or not. A building divided into 1,000 tantièmes (the ownership shares that weight each vote) needs at least 501 in favour, even if half the owners stayed home. This is where most projects die: not under the no votes, but under the weight of the absentees.

This majority applies in particular to:

• Appointing or dismissing the syndic
• Energy-saving works and works reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• Authorising a co-owner to carry out, at their own expense, works affecting the common areas or the outside appearance of the building
• Delegating certain powers to the owners' council
• Individual water supply contracts

Legal note: a co-owner holding more than half of the ownership shares has their votes capped at the combined total of all the other co-owners (article 22). No decision can therefore be carried by a single majority owner.

What is the article 25-1 bridge?

It is the most useful rescue mechanism in the law.

When a resolution submitted under article 25 misses the absolute majority but gathers at least one third of the votes of all co-owners, the same meeting immediately holds a second vote, by the simple majority of article 24. Since the ordinance of 30 October 2019 this second vote is no longer optional: it is mandatory, and the bridge covers every decision voted under the article 25 majority.

The flip side: if the project falls short of that third, the door closes. The old option of calling a fresh meeting within three months to vote under article 24 has been removed; the question goes back onto the agenda of a future meeting, with the costs and delays that implies. A practitioner's tip: insist that the minutes record the exact count of votes for, against and abstaining, not just carried or rejected. Without that figure there is no way to prove the one-third threshold was reached, and a poorly documented bridge vote is an open invitation to challenge the decision.

What requires the double majority of article 26?

For decisions touching the substance of the copropriété, article 26 demands two cumulative conditions: a majority of the co-owners in number, together representing at least two thirds of the votes. You must win both most of the heads and most of the shares.

This double majority applies in particular to:

• Amendments to the co-ownership regulations concerning the enjoyment, use and administration of the common areas
• Acts of acquisition or disposal, such as selling a common area
• Abolishing the concierge or caretaker position, unless it undermines the intended use of the building

Here too a bridge exists: article 26-1 allows an immediate second vote by the article 25 majority when the project won the approval of half the co-owners representing at least one third of the votes. At the top of the scale, unanimity remains required for the gravest decisions, such as selling common areas whose preservation is necessary to the intended use of the building, or changing the allocation of charges outside the cases provided by law.

Do abstentions count?

Never in favour of the project, but their real weight changes with the article. Under article 24, only votes cast are counted: an abstention is neutral and simply drops out of the calculation. Under articles 25 and 26, the majority is measured against all co-owners: abstaining, or staying home, has exactly the same effect as voting no, because the threshold does not move.

The practical consequence is direct: for a reinforced-majority vote, the battle is won before the meeting, by collecting proxies and postal votes. A project backed by everyone in the room can still fail if a quarter of the shares are asleep at home.

Before each general meeting, check the applicable article for every resolution, count the shares already secured and spot what the bridge can save: that is the difference between a building that moves forward and one that revotes the same items every year. A majority is not declared in the room: it is prepared in advance.

Information current as of July 2026. This article describes French law for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.