An 87-year-old woman was forced to leave the residence where she had lived for over seven decades, located in the El Retiro neighborhood in central Madrid, Spain. The eviction occurred due to the rent increase to 1,650 euros, which prompted protests and support mobilizations.
According to the Spanish press, the property had been rented by the elderly woman's father, identified as Maricarmen, in 1956. After her parents passed away, she remained in the apartment while the rent amount was regulated by law.
Initially, the lease agreement was signed under old rent control regulations. However, with the implementation of the Urban Lease Law in 1994, the legal framework for such contracts underwent a drastic transformation.
Maricarmen took responsibility for the contract twenty years ago and always honored the payments, which were adjusted according to inflation. The situation became complicated in 2018 when the building was purchased by an investment company. The new owners initiated legal proceedings, arguing that the supposed gap in contract subrogation made the situation 'economically unsustainable.'
The case reached the courts, and the Supreme Court of Spain ruled in favor of the company, which sought to raise the rent by 275%. Maricarmen, a pensioner with 50% capacity, could not afford the required amount. In the final months, hundreds of neighbors, social groups, and housing rights advocacy platforms organized in support, holding camps and demonstrations to block the eviction ordered by the judiciary.
An anonymous writer offered to cover the rent difference to prevent removal by Urbagestión, but the proprietary investment fund refused the help. The Spanish Secretary of State for Housing, Leire Iglesias, told Cadena SER radio that Urbagestión agreed to mediate the issue to find a solution for Maricarmen's problem, but later did not answer her calls.