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In Spain, debt from administration fees can generate late-payment interest of 3-5% per year, so it's worth acting fast.
The first thing is to notify the building administrator formally so they can try to collect, because most of the time it gets resolved at that stage without needing lawyers.
If they still don't pay after about 3 months, the homeowners' association can sue, and that's where things get serious because they can seize assets or sell the property at auction. Talk to the administrator about the next steps, because each association has its own bylaws and procedures.
Man, this is way more complicated than it looks because a lot of neighbors think just telling the building manager settles it, but the truth is if the debt doesn't get paid, you and everyone else end up footing those bills while legal procedures drag on!
What nobody mentions is you could end up paying that neighbor's share for months while a court claim gets processed, so what really matters is documenting everything from day one and getting written proof of every notice.
I've seen this up close in my building and people usually think that once they notify the administrator the problem sorts itself out, but that's a dangerous misconception because while the neighbor keeps not paying, the rest of us owners are covering their maintenance costs. What nobody tells you is that before you can file a court case you have the right to formally request in writing (certified mail) that the administrator initiate an administrative enforcement process, which is faster and cheaper than going through court. If after 30 days from that notification the guy is still in the red, then yeah, you have to get a lawyer involved, but a lot of neighbors skip that middle step and end up spending a ton of money unnecessarily.
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