The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has rejected the idea of using an official residence as her government faces renewed scrutiny over its acquisition of a €6.3 million penthouse in Chamberí. Bought in April 2026 by the regional public company Planifica Madrid, the property was initially presented as temporary office space during renovations at the Real Casa de Correos. Its intended use and public cost later became controversial.
Ayuso addressed the issue during an unannounced visit to Las Moradas de San Martín winery in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, a municipality recently affected by wildfires. She said that since taking office in August 2019, she has neither requested nor needed an official residence, a privilege used by only a handful of Spain’s regional leaders and often left vacant. With elections approaching, she said, she sees no reason to make such a move now.
The penthouse is on Paseo del General Martínez Campos and has been described as measuring about 481 to 485 square metres, including a terrace of approximately 99 square metres. The regional government initially tied the purchase to a temporary presidential office during planned works at the Real Casa de Correos, the executive’s headquarters at Puerta del Sol. It later described the property more broadly as an institutional facility, with work and rest areas and provision for occasional stays by visiting officials. Property documentation classified it as residential.
The proposed move to the penthouse was abandoned after criticism, and Planifica Madrid put the property up for sale. Its first sale attempt attracted no buyer; a second auction also ended without an offer, information from reports published on October 23, 2026. Reports put the minimum asking price between €6,649,201 and €6,694,201, above the original purchase price. After the second failed process, the property remained on the market indefinitely. Reporting linked the planned sale proceeds to reconstruction needs following wildfires in Madrid’s Sierra Oeste.
Spain’s Tribunal de Cuentas is also scrutinizing the purchase. The Madrid government has asked for the investigation to be archived and argued that Planifica Madrid’s real-estate operations are not directly managed by Ayuso personally. The regional executive has denied that the penthouse was bought as her official residence, while confirming that Ayuso visited the property after its acquisition. The dispute has centered on the public cost and residential classification of the property, as well as whether it served a clearly defined institutional purpose.
Ayuso turned the focus to national politics, criticizing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for remaining on holiday at La Mareta while Ceuta faces mounting pressure from migration and public safety concerns. She pointed to reports of daily assaults and the risk of epidemics in the enclave, contrasting her presence in Madrid with Sánchez’s absence.
The purchase comes at a sensitive time for the Madrid government, as public attention builds ahead of the 2027 elections. The Real Casa de Correos, the traditional seat of the regional presidency, is undergoing impressive renovations, prompting the search for alternative office space. Official residences are common in only five of Spain’s seventeen autonomous communities. Their use has declined in recent years, often amid public scrutiny over cost and necessity.
Madrid’s real estate market, particularly in central districts like Chamberí, remains among the most expensive in Spain, and high-profile transactions often draw media attention. Failed sale attempts have kept the penthouse at the center of debate over public spending and transparency, including the responsibilities of regional leaders. As the election campaign period approaches, the use of public funds is likely to remain a prominent issue in Madrid politics.
