By admin 
The heart-wrenching eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old disabled woman, from her Madrid apartment of over seven decades has ignited widespread public outrage and thrust Spain’s escalating housing crisis into the national spotlight. Abascal, who was forcibly removed from her home on a stretcher on September 23rd and subsequently admitted to hospital, has become a potent symbol of the struggles faced by countless Spaniards grappling with soaring rents and precarious housing security. In response to the immense public pressure, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s cabinet convened on Tuesday to discuss and agree upon new housing relief measures, a move that activists and tenants’ unions have cautiously welcomed but deem insufficient to address the systemic issues at play.
The breakthrough in Abascal’s case came after her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, engaged in extensive negotiations with Urbagestión, the investment company that now owns the apartment. Following several hours of discussions on Monday, an agreement was reached that will allow Abascal to return to her home under a new contract with a rent increase she can reportedly afford. Duro announced at a press conference that there had been "goodwill from both parties," and that Abascal would be paying a similar amount of rent to what she previously paid, thus averting the substantial price hike that had triggered the eviction. While the agreement still requires Abascal’s final approval – she was unable to attend the meeting due to her ongoing treatment for exhaustion – Duro expressed confidence that she would sign the deal once she felt better.
The news of the potential resolution for Abascal was met with jubilation by up to 1,000 protesters who had gathered at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, where hundreds of tents have been erected as a symbol of solidarity and protest. However, the city’s Tenants’ Union reiterated their demand for deeper government housing reforms, asserting that "so that there are no more Maricarmens." The government’s proposed housing agreement, details of which were expected to be released on Tuesday, will require parliamentary approval to become law.
The protest encampment in Puerta del Sol has drawn criticism from Madrid’s regional leader, Isabel DÃaz Ayuso, who has accused the central government of being slow to address Spain’s housing shortage and of now presenting "sectarian" and "deeply ideological" proposals. Ayuso, a prominent figure in the conservative People’s Party, stated, "I’m merely asking to be told at what age I can stop paying my landlords so I can stay in my place, and maybe I’ll even join the next tenants’ protest." She further argued that Spain requires a million more homes to accommodate demographic growth, which she claimed was implicitly encouraged by the Sánchez government.
Beyond Abascal’s case, the housing crisis continues to affect vulnerable individuals across Spain. Esmeralda Tejero, a 51-year-old mother, was reportedly facing eviction on Tuesday from her apartment in Zaragoza, along with her 11-year-old daughter. Tejero, who has resided in the flat for eight years, explained to the Catalan newspaper el Periódico that she had fallen behind on rent due to her inability to cover it alongside daily expenses. Her rent amounts to €320 (£274) per month, while her income hovers around €600, leaving her in an impossible financial bind. "If I pay €320 a month, how do I feed my daughter?" she lamented.
The circumstances surrounding Maricarmen Abascal’s original tenancy highlight the historical context of housing in Spain. Her father first rented the property in 1956, and she continued to occupy the apartment after her parents’ passing. During this period, rent increases were subject to caps, providing a degree of stability for long-term tenants. However, the situation dramatically changed when Urbagestión acquired the property in 2018. The company initially sought to increase Abascal’s rent from €500 per month (£428; $572) to a staggering €2,650 (£2,280; $3,020). While a subsequent offer to reduce this to €1,650 was made, it remained unaffordable for Abascal, whose monthly pension was €1,350. Despite three prior attempts, the courts had blocked her eviction until the recent incident.
Abascal’s plight resonated deeply with the Spanish public, sparking nationwide protests. Tens of thousands of people marched through Madrid on Saturday, expressing their opposition to the eviction and demanding more robust tenant protections in the face of a severe housing shortage and escalating rental costs. Lawyer Beatriz Duro acknowledged that the tentative agreement reached with Urbagestión was "the result of the social mobilisation." While supporters hailed Abascal’s potential return home as a victory, they underscored their commitment to continuing the fight against similar evictions and advocating for more affordable housing solutions.
However, not all involved in the protest movement felt that Abascal’s individual resolution addressed the core of the problem. Jacob Patiño, a protester who has been camping in Puerta del Sol, expressed his disillusionment, stating that Abascal’s return "means absolutely nothing." He described the agreement as a "sticking plaster, which can be removed at any time," emphasizing that "there are lots and lots of other people who are being evicted" just like Maricarmen. Patiño stressed the urgent need for legislation that would "directly prevent these things from happening, to make sure that people have a home, as a constitutional right." His sentiment was echoed by many who believe that systemic change, rather than individual concessions, is crucial to ensuring housing security for all.
The emotional toll of the housing crisis extends even to those tasked with enforcing evictions. Diego Blanco, a representative of firefighters employed by Madrid City Hall who participated in the Puerta del Sol protest, shared the psychological impact of being called to assist in evictions. "It makes us complicit," he stated. "When we decide to become firefighters we have done so to save people and help them, not to throw people out in the street and leave them in a worse situation than they were in before." This perspective highlights the ethical dilemmas faced by public servants caught in the crossfire of housing disputes.
The economic landscape of Spain’s housing market paints a stark picture of the challenges ahead. The Bank of Spain estimates a deficit of 700,000 homes, a figure derived from the disparity between housing demand and new construction. According to data from the national statistics institute INE for the second quarter of 2026, house prices have surged by 12.2% over the past year. The scarcity of rental properties has driven up costs, with a 8.5% increase in 2025, according to real estate firm Idealista. Madrid alone experienced a 9.7% rise in rents. The firm identified Barcelona and Madrid as Spain’s most expensive cities for rental housing, with average prices of €23.8 per square metre and €22.7 per square metre, respectively.
Prime Minister Sánchez’s Socialist Party, operating without a parliamentary majority, is seeking to forge alliances with its political partners to enact new decrees aimed at appeasing public discontent. Negotiations leading up to the council of ministers meeting on Tuesday morning were intense, with left-wing ministers advocating for permanent tenant protections. Reports suggest that the left-wing Catalan party ERC has pushed for an immediate halt to all evictions involving vulnerable individuals and a significant increase in taxes on tourist accommodation.
In a speech delivered on Monday evening, Sánchez pledged that the government would take decisive action to address the "housing emergency suffered by so many people." He articulated a powerful message of national responsibility, stating, "Patriotism also means preventing an 87-year-old woman from ending up on the street after a lifetime in her home." His words underscored the growing recognition within the government that housing security is not merely an economic issue but a fundamental matter of social justice and national pride. The coming days and weeks will reveal the true extent of the government’s commitment to enacting meaningful and lasting change in Spain’s housing sector.
