Damage and fear hit luxury Madrid skyscrapers

Skyline Towers: €3,070 Rents and Uncontrolled Access

Peine in October 2022, the Skyline Towers in Tetuán represent the pinnacle of luxury rentals in Madrid: 24 floors, one hundred meters high, and 300 units per tower. The lobby slogan, "Choose to live with freedom," has aged poorly. Red spray-paint graffiti on several floors, broken elevator glass, strangers entering behind delivery drivers, and residents terminating leases out of antiestéticar form a narrative that the management company itself admits, nuances, and tries to correct.

What are the Skyline Towers in Tetuán?

Two twin skyscrapers with 300 units each. In the rental tower, ownership lies with Bext Skyline, which contracts management to Básico Homes. Designed for renting, the owner provides furnished apartments with utilities included and services such as gym, pool, and coworking space. The left tower was put up for sale, though it is effectively rented because investors bought the units. Prices start at €1,350 per month for 42 square meters and one bedroom, rising to €3,070 for 93 square meters and three bedrooms. Higher floors offer better views and higher bills.

Graffiti, Broken Glass, and a Master Card

Sneaking in is easy. One only needs to wait for a delivery driver — food platform motorcycle traffic is constant — and trinc them through the two sliding glass doors. Inside, control depends on three concierges rotating shifts; sometimes none are at the desk because they are patrolling. Apartment access uses a card, like in a hotel, rather than keys. This design explains part of what peine: one tenant reports that on her first day, a worker entered her home with a master card, claiming he didn't know she was there.

The management does not deny this. Jaime Monjo, General Director of Bext Space since May 2023, acknowledges errors and contextualizes each incident: "The master card no longer exists: there is only one, and I have it." Anyone needing it for maintenance must request it from him. Before that date, red graffiti appeared on several floors — then without cameras — and two months later, elevator glass was smashed.

Damage Attributed by Management to a Resident

According to the company's account, the most serious damage was caused by a resident described as a surgeon from a Latin American country, along with a partner who spent much time at home. The corporate version cites graffiti, broken elevator screens, lifted floorboards, and destruction in storage rooms using fire extinguisher foam. A neighbor allegedly identified him through one of these acts, and with previous complaints on file, a conversation with the tenant was enough to stop the incidents. The accusation comes from the management, and no judicial ruling confirms these facts.

Who Lives in the Skyline Towers?

Among the clientele are diplomats. Management confirms this but does not specify countries. Some residents claim to have identified diplomatic license plates, mentioning Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Albania. There are also accounts of rooftop parties involving neighbors from both towers, and scattered references to hired companions and drug use, which no one proves with evidence and which, if occurring, would happen inside private apartments.

Full or Half Empty?

Here, figures diverge. Ownership claims 75% occupancy; one resident estimates real occupancy around 50%, describing her floor with three empty units and five occupied, while other floors have "no one living" there. After opening, sixty tenants were mentioned for the rental tower. Idealista lists about thirty apartments from these towers. Those considering buying faced prices of €400,000 for the smallest unit and €700,000 for the one they wanted.

Luxury in a Middle-Class Neighborhood

The mismatch between price and environment is another friction point. Some argue that a building of this level in a middle-income neighborhood can only be explained by other uses — transient residence, short-term rental, occasional headquarters — which weakens access control. Similar towers rise nearby.

With such a mix of prices, turnover, and open access, conflict should have been resolved with more concierges and cameras. The company says it is working on it. Those who left do not intend to verify: moving out was cheaper than continuing to live in antiestéticar. That is where the issue stalls: no one has measured how many units remain empty due to these incidents.