An 87-year-old Madrid woman, Maria del Carmen Abascal, is set to return to her home following a public outcry that forced a real estate firm to reverse her eviction. Known as Maricarmen, she had become a symbol of Spain’s severe housing shortage after an international investment fund purchased her building and attempted to force her out by tripling her rent to approximately $1,880 per month to repurpose the property for tourist rentals. This is the latest development in an ongoing saga that started with her eviction last week.
Legal counsel for Abascal confirmed on Tuesday that the firm has agreed to revert her monthly payments to the original rate. Under the new agreement, her rent is capped at $570 for the next eight years, ensuring that housing costs account for roughly 30 percent of her pension. The local tenants’ union, which organized widespread protests and encampments in Puerta del Sol that reached dozens of cities, hailed the outcome as a “historic win” on social media. The union celebrated what it described as a “historic win” in a post on X, upon the announcement of the landlord’s offer.
In response to the growing unrest, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s administration introduced a legislative package scheduled for a parliamentary vote this Friday. The proposed measures include extending expired tenant protections through 2030, a move designed to prevent similar evictions of vulnerable residents. However, the government’s plan faces significant opposition from conservative parties aligned with landlord interests, and protesters maintain that the proposal does not sufficiently address their broader demands.
Spain is currently grappling with a critical supply issue as it faces a shortage of roughly 755,000 homes. Central bank projections suggest this deficit could climb to one million units by 2028, further fueling the national housing debate.
