The Community of Madrid has put a luxury penthouse in Chamberí up for sale after acquiring it in April 2026 through the public company Planifica Madrid for approximately €6.3 million. The 481-square-metre property was originally intended as a temporary office for regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso while renovation work was planned at the Real Casa de Correos, the headquarters of the regional presidency. The government says the proceeds will support reconstruction after the summer 2026 wildfires in the Sierra Oeste.
The purchase quickly drew criticism, with questions about choosing an expensive residential property for a provisional government workplace instead of renting or using another public building. The government later considered the Canal de Isabel II headquarters at 125 Calle de Santa Engracia in Chamberí as an alternative or complementary office for Ayuso. It described the penthouse as a possible multipurpose facility that could serve as an office and potentially a residence.
The penthouse is on Paseo del General Martínez Campos and reportedly has a 200-square-metre terrace. Its residential classification and luxury features have fuelled debate about its suitability for administrative use. The controversy also concerns the temporary nature of the original need and the availability of other regional facilities.
Planifica Madrid set the minimum sale price at €6,694,201 plus taxes, above the approximately €6.3 million acquisition price. The asking price remained unchanged after the first sale process attracted no bids. A second attempt also ended without offers by its 21 October 2026 deadline. Afterward, the company’s technical committee moved the property to an open-ended public offer, available until it is awarded or Planifica Madrid withdraws it. The terms were reported by El País; the continued offer does not provide the government with immediate funds for wildfire recovery.
The Madrid government says proceeds from the sale will go toward recovery in the Sierra Oeste. The unresolved sale has kept scrutiny on the original decision and the valuation. The shift from buying a temporary office to a prolonged public-asset sale has become basic to the debate. The region’s annual budget exceeds €30 billion, prompting questions about why the sale of a single property is tied to reconstruction funding.
The situation has drawn comparisons with earlier debates over public spending and transparency in the capital. A similar controversy erupted when the regional government’s purchase of a luxury penthouse in Chamberí was first reported, as detailed in this earlier analysis of the Chamberí penthouse deal.
The Real Casa de Correos is undergoing rehabilitation, temporarily displacing the president’s office. Chamberí is one of Madrid’s most expensive residential areas, and the sequence of purchase and sale has kept the administration’s decisions under public scrutiny. The government maintains that the operation is legal and justified, while critics continue to question the property choice and the alternatives considered.
