Elderly disabled woman evicted after 71 years allowed to return home following protests
- On Monday, the Municipal Housing and Land Company mediated a preliminary agreement allowing 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal to return to her Retiro apartment under an eight-year lease at roughly €500 monthly, pending her formal approval.
- Investment firm Urbagestión purchased the apartment in 2018 and hiked rent from €500 to €2,650, sparking an eight-year legal battle. Police forcefully removed Abascal on a stretcher on September 23, 2026, triggering nationwide protests.
- Tens of thousands protested across Spain, with activists camping in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square. This social mobilization pressured Urbagestión to negotiate through the municipal Rental Mediation Service, enabling the breakthrough.
- Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government approved two housing decrees on Tuesday, including an eviction ban until 2030 and stricter rental regulations. These measures directly address the systemic housing crisis fueling public outrage.
- The government's coalition holds only 152 of 350 parliamentary seats, complicating ratification of the decrees. The Bank of Spain projects a 750,000-home deficit by 2028, underscoring structural challenges ahead.
299 Articles
299 Articles
After an eviction that brought thousands of Spaniards to the streets in protest, Maricarmen Abascal, 87, can return to her home in Madrid. The landlord and her lawyer have agreed on a new lease. But she herself must say yes before the deal can become a reality
Social mobilization and mediation made it possible to reach an agreement to ensure the return of the octogenarian with affordable rent.
The Spanish government announced on Tuesday the suspension of evictions from homes until 2030 and the automatic renewal of rental contracts, in an attempt to limit the crisis of housing facing Spain, in full social contest.
The eviction of Maricarmen, the 87-year-old symbol of the protests against the housing crisis and evictions, has moved something not only in the hearts of the hundreds of protesters who have gone down the street for her, but also to the high levels of the government. The decree approved this morning by the parties of the Spanish government provides protection against the [...] The article In Spain no more evictions until 2030: approved the Maric…
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