Digital VvE meetings: what is allowed from 1 January 2027?
Short answer: from 1 January 2027, whoever calls the owners' meeting (the board or the chair) may decide that the meeting is held fully online or in a hybrid format. This is set out in the new paragraphs 4 to 11 of article 5:127 of the Dutch Civil Code (BW). There are conditions: anyone taking part online must be identifiable, able to vote directly and able to join the discussion with sound and video. And owners who together hold at least a quarter of the votes can demand that the meeting is also accessible in person.
Why is this changing?
Until now, the law has said nothing about a fully digital owners' meeting. Whether you could meet online therefore depended on what your splitsingsreglement (the regulations in your deed of division) says. For many small VvE's that was unclear.
With the Wet digitale algemene vergadering privaatrechtelijke rechtspersonen (Act of 3 June 2026, Staatsblad 2026, 161), the legislator has settled this for associations, foundations, private companies and VvE's. The decree of 8 September 2026 (Staatsblad 2026, 259) sets the date of entry into force at 1 January 2027.
What exactly does the new law say?
These are the new rules in article 5:127 BW, in plain language:
- Whoever calls the meeting can choose (paragraph 4). The person who calls the meeting can decide that it is accessible "also or exclusively" by electronic means. Under article 5:127(2) BW, both the board and the chair are authorised to call the meeting. For an ordinary association, the general meeting must first give authorisation for this (the new article 2:38(6) BW); for a VvE, the law contains no such requirement.
- Owners can insist on a physical meeting (paragraphs 5 to 7). Members who together hold at least a quarter of the votes can request in writing that the meeting is also accessible in person. An email counts as writing unless your articles say otherwise. The request can be made up to seven days after the day of the notice. The person who called the meeting must comply and inform all members without delay.
- Technical requirements (paragraph 8). Anyone attending online must be able to:
- be identified;
- vote directly;
- follow the meeting through a two-way audiovisual connection (sound and video, in both directions);
- take part in the discussion directly.
- Voting in advance (paragraph 9). Votes cast electronically before the meeting only count if the articles provide for it, and then no earlier than the thirtieth day before the meeting. The Model Regulations 2017 (Modelreglement 2017) already provide for this in article 53.2. The transitional rules (article IV(5) of the Act) make such a provision apply to a fully online meeting as well.
- Conditions and instructions in the notice (paragraphs 10 and 11). You may set conditions for using the digital means. If they are not in the articles, you announce them in the notice. If the meeting is (also) online, the notice must explain how to take part and how to vote.
Simply watching a livestream or only filling in a voting form is therefore not enough: participants must genuinely be able to speak and vote.
What applies until 1 January 2027?
Until that date, it depends on your regulations. The Model Regulations 2017, for example, say that meetings are held "at a place determined by the Board in the municipality where the Land is located or in a nearby municipality" (article 50.1). Owners may, however, cast their vote through an electronic means chosen by the meeting (article 53.2). Under those regulations, a fully online meeting before 2027 is therefore not a given.
Also note the transitional rules. If a notice was sent before the entry into force, the old law continues to apply to the manner of convening (article IV(1) of the Act). Want to hold your annual meeting online in early 2027 under the new rules? Then the clearest approach is to send the notice on or after 1 January 2027.
How to run a good online or hybrid meeting
- Check your regulations. Find out which model regulations your deed of division refers to (for example 1992, 2006 or 2017). See what they say about notice periods, proxies and electronic voting.
- Choose a tool that meets paragraph 8. Use a video connection with two-way sound and video, and make sure you know who is taking part. For example, ask participants to log in with their name and apartment number.
- Agree how votes are counted. Decide in advance how you count votes, for example per apartment and using the number of votes in the deed of division. Keep an attendance list of who is present or represented. The Model Regulations 2017 call the attendance list "decisive for the quorum" (article 50.3).
- Put everything in the notice. Include the date, time, the link or login method, how to take part and how to vote, any conditions and the agenda with meeting documents. Under the Model Regulations 2017 the notice period is at least fifteen days, and the notice may be sent by email (article 50.2).
- Tell owners about their right to a physical meeting. State in the notice that owners holding a quarter of the votes together can ask for a physical meeting up to seven days after the notice. This avoids arguments afterwards.
- Help neighbours who are less at home online. Plan a short test session beforehand, for example, or arrange for someone to log in together with a neighbour.
- Take minutes as usual. An online meeting is still a meeting: attendees, decisions and voting results belong in the minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need to amend our deed of division to meet online?
No. From 1 January 2027, article 5:127(4) BW gives this power directly to whoever calls the meeting. If you want votes cast electronically before the meeting to count, your articles do need to provide for that (paragraph 9).
Can one owner without a computer demand a physical meeting?
Only if that owner holds at least a quarter of the votes. Otherwise the request must come from members who together hold at least a quarter of the votes (paragraph 5).
Is a WhatsApp group a digital meeting?
No. The law requires two-way sound and video, identification and the ability to vote directly (paragraph 8). For small VvE's, a decision outside a meeting can be an alternative. Under the Model Regulations 2017, all persons entitled to vote must then agree in writing, by email or through the chosen electronic means (article 54.3).
We already sent the notice in December 2026. What now?
For a notice sent before 1 January 2027, the old law continues to apply to the manner of convening (article IV(1)). Unsure whether your meeting may then be held fully online? Check your regulations, or send a new notice after 1 January, observing the notice period.
Meetings without the hassle
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This article is general information, not legal advice. Always check your own deed of division and regulations. Last checked: 12 October 2026.
Sources
- Dutch Civil Code Book 5, art. 5:127 (version as of 1 January 2027)
- Wet digitale algemene vergadering privaatrechtelijke rechtspersonen, Staatsblad 2026, 161
- Entry-into-force decree, Staatsblad 2026, 259
- Model Regulations for division into apartment rights 2017 (KNB), art. 50, 53 and 54
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