Lawyer says evicted Madrid pensioner can return home under proposed lease
Maricarmen Abascal, 87, may return to the Madrid apartment she had lived in for more than 70 years after her lawyer said the parties had reached an agreement in principle. The proposed contract has not yet been signed, and Abascal is receiving treatment for exhaustion after her 23 September eviction. Her case drew nationwide protests and renewed focus on tenant protections and Spain’s housing shortage.
The story
Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old disabled pensioner, will be able to return to her Madrid home under a proposed new rental agreement, according to her lawyer, Beatriz Duro. The agreement had not been signed when the BBC reported it, and Duro said Abascal would sign once she was feeling better. Abascal was admitted to hospital after she was forcibly removed on a stretcher from the apartment on 23 September. Duro said there had been “goodwill from both parties” and that Abascal would pay a similar level of rent under the new contract, avoiding the large increase that had made the home unaffordable. Her father first rented the property in 1956, and she remained the tenant after her parents died. Investment firm Urbagestión, which bought the property in 2018, raised the monthly rent from €500 to €2,650, according to the BBC. It later offered €1,650, still above Abascal’s reported monthly pension of €1,350. Three earlier eviction attempts had been blocked by courts. The latest eviction prompted demonstrations across Spain, including a march in Madrid in which tens of thousands called for stronger tenant protections and more affordable housing.
Why it matters
The reported settlement addresses an immediate risk of displacement for an older tenant whose income could not meet the proposed rent. It also illustrates the gap that can emerge when long-standing tenants face rents set at levels far above pension income. Because the arrangement is private and remains unsigned, it should not be treated as a safeguard for other renters. The practical policy question raised by the case is whether existing protections and housing supply measures can prevent comparable disputes before an eviction occurs.
Evidence and context
Abascal’s dispute unfolded amid a documented shortage of homes in Spain. The Bank of Spain estimates that the country is short of 700,000 homes, calculated from the gap between demand and new construction, according to the BBC. In this case, the change in ownership was followed by a proposed rent increase from €500 to €2,650 a month; even the later €1,650 offer exceeded Abascal’s reported €1,350 monthly pension. The protests were therefore focused not only on one eviction but on affordability, tenant protection and the availability of housing. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said housing relief measures would be considered when the cabinet meets on Tuesday, while his Socialist Party is seeking support to pass a law despite lacking a parliamentary majority.
Limits and unknowns
The immediate outcome remains conditional: Duro described an agreement that was still awaiting Abascal’s signature, not a completed tenancy contract. The BBC did not report the contract’s duration, its precise rent, or other terms, so it is not possible to assess how durable the arrangement will be. The source also reports that three prior eviction attempts were blocked by courts, but does not specify the legal grounds in each instance. Government measures discussed for Tuesday are likewise not detailed, and parliamentary approval is uncertain because the Socialist Party lacks a majority.
What happens next
Whether Abascal signs the proposed contract after recovering from exhaustion is the first practical test of the agreement. Readers can also watch for the cabinet’s Tuesday discussion of housing relief measures and for details of any bill the government seeks to bring before parliament.
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Eviction from Madrid apartment
Abascal was forcibly removed from the apartment and later admitted to hospital, according to the BBC.
Lawyer says evicted Madrid pensioner can return home under proposed lease
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