The controversy over the attic acquired by the Community of Madrid does not revolve solely around its price. The central question is who decided to buy it, what information each political and administrative responsible had, and why it was not checked beforehand that the property could not be legally allocated to offices.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo's statements have added a relevant date. The president of the PP has assured that he knew since April that the Government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso was looking for a place to temporarily move the president's office and part of her cabinet during the works on the Royal Post Office.
Feijóo has not claimed that he was aware of the acquisition of the Chamberí attic. He has also not said that Ayuso personally communicated the operation to him. What he has confirmed is that the relocation project was already known and had been discussed with him during an informal meeting held at the regional headquarters.
This is the complete sequence of what is known, what each protagonist maintains, and what has still not been clarified.
January 2026: the attic appears on the market
The real estate agency Promora announced at the end of January the sale of the property located on General Martínez Campos Avenue. The initial published price was approximately 6.6 million euros.
It is an attic of 481 square meters, with about 200 meters of terrace, five bedrooms, six bathrooms, and a parking space. It is located in a residential building in the Chamberí district, and its urban classification is also residential.
This condition is decisive: the urban regulations of Madrid do not allow the installation of a conventional administrative office in an attic of these characteristics.
April: Feijóo learns about the search for a headquarters
During an informal meeting held in April, the Madrid government explained to Feijóo that the Royal Post Office needed remodeling due to conservation, climate control, and plumbing issues.
The PP leader claims that they informed him that they were looking for different places to temporarily move the president's office, her secretariat, and part of her cabinet.
This is the knowledge that Feijóo has acknowledged. He has not claimed that he was shown the attic, that he knew its price, or that he was informed of the purchase.
April 14: Planifica Madrid buys the property
Planifica Madrid acquired the attic on April 14 for 6.3 million euros. The purchase price would need to include taxes and expenses arising from the operation.
The entity is a public company dependent on the Ministry of Presidency, Justice, and Local Administration. Its board of directors was, therefore, the body directly related to the approval and execution of the acquisition.
The operation was not expressly listed among the investments planned in the Planifica Madrid budget for 2026. When the purchase became public, it also did not appear in the transparency section dedicated to its main actions.
No justificatory report had been published that would allow knowing what alternatives were studied, why it was opted to buy instead of renting, or what report certified that the attic could be used for the announced purpose.
July: the operation is known
The purchase became publicly known at the end of July. The first explanation from the Madrid government was that the residence could serve as an office or provisional meeting space during the renovation of the Royal Post House.
Ayuso denied that it had been acquired to convert it into her residence. "It is not for me, it is not my residence," she declared when asked about the purpose of the property.
The president maintained that Planifica Madrid could buy properties and that the final decision on the use of the attic was still not completely closed.
The controversy increased when it became known that the residential qualification prevented using the attic as an administrative office.
Ayuso says she did not participate in the purchase
On August 5, Ayuso transferred the responsibility for the explanations to the Ministry of Presidency, led by Miguel Ángel García Martín.
The president assured that the councilors manage the operations related to their departments and stated that she did not know certain details of the acquisition.
Ayuso has also rejected that the real objective was to create an official residence. On August 17, she reiterated that she had never requested one and that she would not need it when there were ten months left until the regional elections.
What the Minister of Presidency has explained
Miguel Ángel García Martín has defended that the Community of Madrid acted with transparency and that the purchase responded to the need to have support spaces during the works in Sol.
The minister has maintained that the explanations were sufficiently offered and has rejected the accusations from the opposition. He has also stated that he has the support of the national leadership of the Popular Party.
Your department is especially relevant because Planifica Madrid depends on the Ministry of the Presidency.
August 7: the Community formalizes the sale
Planifica Madrid formalized the sale of the penthouse for 6.69 million euros, excluding taxes, just a few weeks after the acquisition became known.
The starting price is almost 400,000 euros higher than the 6.3 million paid in April. That does not automatically mean that the administration will make a profit: it will depend on the final price, taxes, expenses, and the existence of a valid offer.
Along with the penthouse, the public company put four properties on Gran Vía on the market for 11.8 million. The Ayuso Government has linked these sales to obtaining funds to rebuild the municipalities affected by the fires in the Sierra Oeste.
The deadline initially set to receive offers is September 7.
August 23: Feijóo distances himself
Feijóo has confirmed that he knew the general plan since April, put he has asked the Madrid heritage officials to explain the selection of the property.
The position of the PP leader combines support for the need for a relocation with an administrative reproach: if an office was sought, someone must clarify why a penthouse was purchased where that use was not allowed.
He has also pointed out that his cabinet has spoken with Ayuso's and that the information received matches the explanation given to him in April about the works and the search for a provisional headquarters.
What is confirmed and what remains unanswered
It is confirmed that Planifica Madrid bought the penthouse on April 14, that it paid 6.3 million, that the property has residential use, and that it is now offered for 6.69 million.
It is also confirmed that Feijóo knew since April about the search for locations for the relocation. It is not accredited that he knew about the specific purchase before its publication.
Ayuso denies having commissioned or supervised the acquisition. The Minister of the Presidency defends that it responded to an administrative need. Planifica Madrid was the company that executed the operation.
The question that remains open is who proposed buying that specific property and who verified that it could fulfill the announced purpose. It has also not been publicly explained what alternatives were studied or why the purchase of a residential property was chosen over the temporary rental of offices.
The open complaints surrounding the penthouse
The PSOE has announced a complaint before the Madrid Prosecutor's Office against the board of directors of Planifica Madrid for possible crimes of administrative prevarication and embezzlement of public funds.
The party questions whether a public company subject to private law was used to carry out an acquisition that, if processed directly as public property, would have required greater controls and publicity.
Actions have also been promoted before the courts and the Court of Auditors. Más Madrid has requested documentation and has considered taking legal action.