Madrid eviction of 87-year-old tenant reversed in eight-year lease pact
An 87-year-old woman evicted from her Madrid apartment will return under an eight-year lease capping her rent at 30% of net income, following mediation by municipal authorities.
Eight-year lease agreement in Retiro
Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old resident with a 50% disability degree, will return to her home on Calle Sainz de Baranda in Madrid after an eviction on Wednesday. Representatives from the investment firm Urbagestión Desarrollo e Inversión SL reached a consensus on Monday with Abascal's legal team, her cousin Vicente, and the Sindicato de Inquilinas. The agreement grants an eight-year rental contract where monthly rent cannot exceed 30% of her net income. Abascal, who lived in the flat in the Retiro district for 70 years, receives a monthly pension of 1,450 euros paid over 14 installments, amounting to 20,300 euros annually. Under the 30% calculation, her monthly rent will be capped at 507 euros.
- Monthly pension
- 1450 EUR
- Maximum monthly rent
- 507 EUR
Municipal mediation and contract framework
The agreement concluded after four and a half hours of negotiations held at the headquarters of Madrid's municipal housing company, the Empresa Municipal de Vivienda y Suelo (EMVS). Madrid City Council had previously declined to process the case through its Reviva plan due to legal concerns regarding prevarication and the presence of an existing mortgage on the property. Instead, officials structured the settlement under the Rental Intermediation Service (SIA). During the discussions, Urbagestión proposed alternatives including renting a single room before consenting to the long-term lease. The agreement remains subject to formal validation by Abascal, who was hospitalized at Hospital Gregorio Marañón after being removed from the building on a stretcher. Sindicato de Inquilinas spokesperson Ruth Galán criticized the property owner during the negotiations.
If it is doing this, it is not because it wants to reach an agreement out of conscience, it is out of shame.
Sol encampment and national housing decree
The eviction ended a six-year legal dispute and prompted public mobilization across the capital, including a five-day encampment in Puerta del Sol organized by housing activists. News of the pact reached hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the central square late Monday evening. Sindicato de Inquilinas representatives announced that the encampment will continue until the central government enacts broader protections, specifically demanding mandatory indefinite leases.
- Legal dispute over the apartment begins between property owner and tenant
- Maricarmen Abascal is evicted from her Retiro flat and admitted to hospital
- Negotiations mediated by EMVS establish an eight-year lease agreement
- Spanish Council of Ministers convenes to evaluate the national housing decree
The resolution preceded a Tuesday meeting of the Spanish Council of Ministers, where Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government evaluates a new national housing decree. The proposed legislative package includes anti-eviction protections extending to 2028, two-year extraordinary extensions for leases expiring before December 2028, a 2% ceiling on rent increases in the absence of a new contract, and tighter rules on speculative property acquisitions by investment funds.
