The service charges or owners' association bills seem wrong — who do I contact?
Service charges must be itemised and backed by invoices you are allowed to see, and only costs the law or your contract allows can be passed on. Ask for the full statement and the invoices in writing first — a surprising number of disputes end there. If you rent, OCU — Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios (ocu.org) checks the statement and, in many countries, the tenancy body fixes the lawful amount. Owners in a building association contest decisions through Servicio de mediación del ayuntamiento / juzgado de paz (mjusticia.gob.es) first, then Juzgado de Primera Instancia — juicio verbal (administraciondejusticia.gob.es) within the short legal deadline.
🗣️ What to say
"I dispute the service charge statement of [date] for [address]. Please send the itemised breakdown and the underlying invoices for [items]. Until I have them I pay the undisputed part of [amount]. I reserve the right to contest [items] which are not chargeable under [contract / law]."
🪜 Step by step
- Ask for the invoicesYou are entitled to inspect them. Set a deadline of two to four weeks.
- Check what is chargeableRepairs and improvements are usually the landlord's, not the tenant's; management fees are capped in some countries.
- Pay the undisputed partAnd say so in writing — it prevents a default while you contest the rest.
- Tenant: OCU — Organización de Consumidores y UsuariosThe tenant organisation or tenancy body checks the statement and can set the lawful amount.
- Owner: Servicio de mediación del ayuntamiento / juzgado de paz, then Juzgado de Primera Instancia — juicio verbalMediation first; association decisions must be challenged in court within a short deadline, often one month from the meeting.
📇 All contacts
❓ Frequently asked
The statement came two years late
Late statements are often unenforceable for the excess — most countries set a deadline after the year end. OCU — Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios knows yours.
Can I withhold the whole amount?
No — pay what is clearly due and dispute the rest. Withholding everything risks default.
The association voted for expensive works I cannot afford
Decisions can be contested for procedure and for unreasonableness within the deadline; payment plans and hardship rules exist in most countries.
📎 Sources
- Servicio de mediación del ayuntamiento / juzgado de paz →
- OCU — Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios →
- Juzgado de Primera Instancia — juicio verbal →
- Colegio de Abogados — turno de oficio / justicia gratuita →
🔎 Common searches
Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.
- “service charge dispute tenant Spain”
- “owners association decision contest deadline”
- “service charges what can landlord charge”
- “inspect invoices service charge”
- “building association bill too high”
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