The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, resorted to a high-ranking official of her team in the Community of Madrid to manage the search and possible purchase of an apartment in the Chamberí neighborhood valued at 850,000 euros. According to information published by elDiario.es, the person in charge of these arrangements was her chief of staff, Álvaro Sanz.
Sanz, temporary trusted staff and with an annual salary of 93,317.08 euros according to the Transparency Portal, would have been the one who contacted the owners of the property, coordinated visits and participated in price negotiations. Among his official functions are the management of the president's agenda, the organization of trips or the coordination of visits, without including private matters.
The property, of about 100 square meters, four rooms, garage, patio and balcony, was visited on at least two occasions. The first took place on December 1, 2025, when Ayuso attended accompanied by her security team, and the second already with her partner, Alberto González Amador. Both appointments would have been arranged by Sanz, who was also the main interlocutor in communications with the property.
Sources familiar with the operation have confirmed that the apartment, advertised on the real estate portal 'Idealista', had other interested parties and finally was not acquired by the president. From Ayuso's circle, the facts have not been denied, although they have avoided going into detail about the process.
From the Puerta del Sol, headquarters of the regional Executive, it has been defended that the work of the chief of staff “may include private errands without doing business”. Sanz has held this position since 2019, coinciding with Ayuso's arrival to the government. It is a position of free appointment, without civil servant status, but with public employee status while performing his duties.
The real estate assets of Ayuso and her circle have been under scrutiny in recent years. Her partner acquired in 2022 an apartment in Chamberí for 850,000 euros, with a down payment of 350,000, and subsequently a company, Babia Capital SL, bought the penthouse in the same building for 950,000 euros, which it currently rents to him for about 5,000 euros per month with an option to buy.
In addition, other information has placed the president at the center of the debate over the use of public resources. In July 2025, it became known that she used a public property in Rascafría, acquired for 4.3 million, for a private stay. Ayuso then defended that it did not entail cost for the citizens, assuring that they brought “tupperware from home”.
