Evicted Spanish pensioner can move back home, lawyer says

Evicted Spanish pensioner can move back home, lawyer says Maricarmen Abascal, an 87‑year‑old disabled woman, was removed on a stretcher from the Madrid flat she had occupied for more than 70 years on 23 September and taken to hospital after the eviction. Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, said the pensioner will be able to return to her home under a new rental agreement that avoids a substantial rent increase. Duro told a press conference that the outcome stemmed from “goodwill from some parties” and that Abascal would pay a rent comparable to her current outlay under the revised contract. The lawyer met representatives of Urbagestión, the property company that owns the apartment, for several hours on Monday; the provisional deal still requires Abascal’s approval because she was unable to attend the meeting while receiving treatment for exhaustion. Duro added that Abascal would sign the agreement once she feels better. Up to 1,000 protesters gathered at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol to welcome the development, where hundreds of tents have been erected. The city’s Tenants’ Union urged the government to adopt deeper housing reforms “so that there are no more Maricarmens.” Regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso criticised the protests, accusing the administration of failing to address Spain’s housing shortage promptly and of presenting “sectarian” and “deeply ideological” solutions. She said, “I'm simply asking to be told at what rent I can stop paying my landlords so I can stay in my place, and perhaps I'll even join the next tenants' protest.” Ayuso also noted that Spain needs many more homes to accommodate demographic growth encouraged by the Sánchez government. Abascal’s father first rented the property in 1956, and she remained the tenant after her parents’ deaths, a period during which a rent cap was in place. Urbagestión acquired the unit in 2018 and raised the monthly rent from €500 (£428; $572) to €2,650 (£2,280; $3,020). An earlier offer to reduce the rent to €1,650 was still unaffordable given Abascal’s monthly pension of €1,350. Three prior eviction attempts had been blocked by the courts. Her case sparked nationwide protests, with tens of thousands marching through Madrid on Saturday to oppose the eviction and demand stronger tenant protections amid a housing shortage and rising rents. Duro characterised the pending agreement as the “result of the societal mobilisation.” Supporters hailed it as a victory but pledged to continue fighting similar evictions and to lobby for more affordable housing. The Bank of Spain estimates a shortfall of 700,000 dwellings, based on the gap between demand and new construction. House prices climbed 12.2 % over the past year, according to the second‑quarter 2026 data from the national statistics institute INE. Rental market analysis by Idealista shows rental costs rose 8.5 % in 2025, with Madrid alone experiencing a 9.7 % increase. The firm ranks Barcelona and Madrid as Spain’s most expensive rental markets, at €23.8 per square metre (£20.4) and €22.7 per square metre respectively. Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party, which lacks a parliamentary majority, is seeking to negotiate a new decree with its allies to quell public anger. A cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday morning will discuss the issue, with left‑wing ministers calling for permanent tenant safeguards. Overnight negotiations reportedly saw the left‑wing Catalan party ERC demand a moratorium on evictions affecting vulnerable households and a tax increase on tourist accommodation. In a speech on Monday evening, Sánchez promised the government would act responsibly to confront the “housing emergency suffered by so many people.” He added, “Patriotism also means preventing an 87‑year‑old woman from ending up on the street after a lifetime in her home.”