Madrid government faces scrutiny over €6.3 million penthouse purchase as public auction finds no bidders

The acquisition and shifting justifications

The Madrid regional administration faces mounting pressure following the publication of procurement files regarding a 485-square-meter penthouse in the Chamberí district. Public enterprise Planifica Madrid purchased the property on 14 April 2026 for €6.3 million, formalizing cadastral registration two days later. Official documentation spanning more than 200 pages, released through the regional transparency portal, outlines an arrangement to lease the property back to the regional administration for €3,000 per month across a 10-year term starting 1 August 2026.

Initial statements from regional officials framed the acquisition as temporary office space intended to house executive staff during planned renovation works at the Puerta del Sol headquarters. However, procurement dossiers prepared by the Technical General Secretariat of the Presidency Department defined the penthouse as occasional accommodation for visiting dignitaries and regional administrative authorities. Presidency Minister and government spokesperson Miguel Ángel García Martín acknowledged the residential classification during an appearance before the Madrid Assembly.

“Alojamiento ocasional para autoridades en visita oficial a la región o las propias autoridades de la Comunidad.”

Failed auction and legal oversight

Efforts by the regional executive to resolve the controversy by divesting the asset encountered immediate difficulties. The regional administration opened a public auction process to sell the property, pledging that all generated revenue would fund post-wildfire recovery efforts in the Sierra Oeste area. The auction window expired without receiving any formal purchase offers, leaving the property under regional ownership.

The transaction has since expanded into judicial and auditing channels. Madrid Court of Instruction Number 8 submitted an inquiry to public prosecutors to evaluate jurisdictional competence over the filed complaints, citing the official immunity status of named regional figures. Simultaneously, the Court of Audit initiated procedural scrutiny of public expenditures allocated to the purchase.

Ayuso defends administration record

Speaking on 18 September 2026 during a cornerstone ceremony for a data processing center in Alcalá de Henares, regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso dismissed the public criticism. Ayuso stated that real estate management falls outside her direct administrative remit and asserted that she has never sought public housing. She confirmed inspecting the Chamberí site when offices were being evaluated, but insisted that personal residential use was never contemplated.

“Lo juro y lo puedo demostrar de 1.000 maneras que yo no quiero una vivienda.”

Ayuso maintained that she rents her private residence and that scrutiny of her private life has persisted for seven years. The regional president also referenced broader administrative property sales, noting that her administration had sold €22 million in regional real estate assets while questioning why media scrutiny focused disproportionately on her office.

Political fallout and assembly debates

Opposition parties within the Madrid Assembly renewed demands for Ayuso to resign, pointing to inconsistencies between initial office claims and the residential specifications recorded in official files. Popular Party president Alberto Núñez Feijóo stated that regional heritage officials must explain why public funds were used to purchase a residential property unsuitable for offices.

Media commentators also questioned the administration's shifting explanations, with Al Rojo Vivo host Antonio García Ferreras criticizing the regional leadership during a broadcast on 18 September 2026. Regional authorities have not announced a second auction attempt for the Chamberí property, while parliamentary groups prepare further inquiries for upcoming legislative sessions in Madrid.