Ayuso's penthouse chokes the Madrid Government: nobody bids for the 6.3 million property

The attempt by the Government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso to divest itself of the controversial luxury penthouse in Chamberí has ended, for now, without a buyer. The auction called by the public company Planifica Madrid has been declared void after no one submitted an admissible offer for the property.

The Community of Madrid bought the property on April 14 for 6.3 million euros. To that amount, another 378,000 euros were added for Property Transfer Tax, bringing the cost of the operation for public coffers close to 6.7 million.

Planifica Madrid tried to sell it for 6.69 million euros, taxes aside. The deadline for submitting offers ended on September 7, and the documentation published this Thursday confirms that no interested party has bid for the property. The company must now decide whether to call another tender, lower the price, or keep the property within its assets.

The sale had been presented by the Madrid Executive as the solution with which it intended to close a controversy that has pursued Ayuso since the end of July. The regional government also announced that it would allocate the money obtained to rebuild the areas affected by this summer's fires. The absence of buyers prevents fulfilling that commitment with resources from the penthouse.

A justification drafted after the purchase

The operation remained out of public knowledge for more than three months. Planifica Madrid acquired the penthouse in April, subsequently rented it to the autonomous administration itself, and its existence came to light on July 29. Barely 33 hours later, the Ministry of the Presidency announced that it would put it back on the market.

Ayuso then assured that the property had been bought to be used as a temporary office for the Presidency during future works at the Real Casa de Correos. The property, located on Paseo del General Martínez Campos and with an area of nearly 480 square meters, lacked a license to function as an office.

The documentation known this Thursday now expands the intended purpose. The statement of need explains that the Community was looking for an institutional space with a work area, a rest area, and "occasional accommodation for authorities on official visits to the region or the authorities of the Community of Madrid themselves". This description included the possibility of Ayuso using the property.

The document is dated July 2, almost three months after the acquisition. It also states that the penthouse could serve as a complementary space during prolonged crises and mentions the COVID-19 pandemic as a precedent.

The explanations known during these months have thus gone from a provisional office for the president to a resting place for high-ranking officials, accommodation for authorities, and emergency space. Meanwhile, Planifica Madrid had an empty 478-square-meter premises next to Plaza de Castilla, equipped with seven offices, three bathrooms, and common areas.

The opposition has demanded the complete file from the beginning and has accused the regional government of preparing an institutional residence for Ayuso. The president rejected that interpretation, but the published report confirms that the Madrid authorities could occasionally stay in the property.

The auction terms did not establish what would happen if no one submitted an offer. Five months after disbursing 6.3 million plus taxes, the penthouse that the Madrid government wanted to sell as soon as its existence became known still belongs to Planifica Madrid.