A short sale with 17K delinquency in condo fees

[Joe S.]

Hello BP community, I am looking into buying my first rental property and I came across a short sale 1Bed 1Ba condo. After looking into it with my RE agent, he informed me that there's a delinquency of 17K in unpaid condo and late fees. Who is the responsible party for these fees? Did anyone have to deal with this obstacle before?  Any advice is appreciated!