Maricarmen Abascal, aged 87, will be able to return to her home after being evicted from an apartment where she lived for over 70 years in the El Retiro district of Madrid, Spain, due to an inability to pay the rent. The return became possible thanks to an agreement reached between the woman's family, her lawyer, the Madrid Tenants Union, and Urbagestión Desarrollo e Inversión SL, the investment fund that owns the residential property.
According to sources from the Madrid Municipality, which acted as a mediator, this agreement awaits final approval from Maricarmen herself. According to Telecinco, the deal will allow the tenant, Maricarmen, to return to the property under a new eight-year contract, in accordance with the Urban Lease Law.
The rent will not exceed 30% of net income and will be paid through a municipal rental mediation program. This program will provide benefits to both the tenant and the owner, guaranteeing legal security for both. Furthermore, the program includes legal, technical, and tax consulting for Maricarmen, which will help resolve any issues during the contract term. She is also guaranteed insurance against multiple risks and against non-payment.
Maricarmen has been in the hospital for six days, but upon hearing about the possibility of returning to the apartment, she expressed her joy. It should be noted that on the day of the eviction, the elderly woman took only the clothes she was wearing; her personal belongings remained in the apartment.
Government Approves Measures Limiting Evictions
The Spanish government approved a package of housing measures on Tuesday at the Council of Ministers meeting, aimed at limiting evictions, banning the purchase of homes by investment funds, and automatically extending lease agreements. Among the adopted measures, according to information disseminated by Health Minister Mónica García on social network X and executive branch sources, is also the regulation of short-term rentals and room rentals.
It should be recalled that Pedro Sánchez's executive branch was under pressure after this case caused outrage among Spaniards, leading thousands of people to take to the streets to protest the housing crisis in the country.
