Company decisions
Good minutes let the next director see what happened.
Record the decision, the authority, the evidence and the action. The name of the meeting matters less than leaving a company record that can still be understood after the people change.
Before the meeting
Put the decision in front of people early enough to read it.
Name the meeting correctly
State whether it is a directors' meeting, a general meeting of members or another meeting under the company documents. The powers and participants are not interchangeable.
Open the articles and any lease role
Check who may call the meeting, who may attend, the notice and quorum rules, and whether the company is acting as landlord, manager or another party.
Write the proposed decision
A clear motion or decision point makes it easier to see what information is needed and what was actually agreed.
Circulate the documents being relied on
Keep the quote, report, budget, contract, lease clause or correspondence with the agenda instead of asking later readers to guess what the board saw.
The minute
Capture the decision without turning the record into a transcript.
Date, place, attendees and chair
Record who was present, who chaired, apologies and any person attending only for part of the meeting.
Quorum, interests and voting
Note the quorum, declared interests, withdrawals and the result of any vote where these affect the decision.
Evidence considered and material alternatives
Summarise the information that drove the decision and any serious alternative. Avoid invented detail or a polished account that was not discussed.
Owner, authority, limit and date
State who can act, the agreed scope or financial limit, what needs to happen next and when it comes back for review.
After the meeting
Correct the record openly and keep it where the company can find it.
Circulate while memories are fresh
Use the timetable in the articles or the company's agreed process. Mark the document as draft until it is approved.
Change the minute, not the history
Record a correction through the approval process. Do not silently overwrite a final record or backdate a reconstructed minute.
Keep the statutory record
Companies House guidance says records of members' resolutions and general meetings must be kept for 10 years and made available for inspection by members on request.
Link actions to the live register
A minute shows the decision. The action log, contract, payment, filing and completion evidence show whether it happened.
Sources for this page
Open the law and guidance yourself.
Companies House guidance on company records, meetings, resolutions, notice and retention.
↗Primary lawCompanies Act 2006, section 248The provision covering minutes of directors' meetings and the 10-year retention period.
↗Primary lawCompanies Act 2006, section 355The provision covering records of members' resolutions and general meetings and the 10-year retention period.
↗Primary lawCompanies Act 2006, section 358The provision covering inspection of records of resolutions and meetings by members.
↗Links and current-law position checked 18 August 2026. Apply the governing documents, building facts and current law to the case in front of you.
Take the next step in LEASE-iQ
What must this board control, and which records are missing?
Use this when taking over an RTM, RMC or share-of-freehold building.
Keep checking: One lease may not represent every flat or the company's authority. Check the full document set and company records.
