Madrid protests follow eviction of 87-year-old woman after 275% rent hike
Thousands marched in Madrid following the eviction of 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal, whose rent surged from 500 to 2,650 euros after an investment fund acquired her building.
Mass demonstrations in Madrid
Thousands of protesters filled the streets of central Madrid on Saturday to demand tenant protections, anti-fraud regulations, and a ban on evictions without alternative housing. Demonstrators held banners reading 'You could be the next Maricarmen' as they moved through the city center. Organized by the Madrid Tenants' Union, the protest followed daily demonstrations held across Spain earlier in the week. Protesters called for legal curbs on rising housing costs and restrictions on investment funds and short-term tourist rentals.
The eviction of María del Carmen Abascal
The mobilization followed the eviction on Wednesday of 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal from the apartment in Madrid's Retiro neighborhood where she had lived for 70 years. Her father first rented the apartment in 1956 under rent-control rules, and Abascal continued the tenancy after her parents died. The building changed ownership in 2018, and Abascal was offered the chance to buy the apartment but could not afford the price. Real estate investment fund Urbagestión later acquired the unit and raised the monthly rent by 275%, from 500 euros to 2,650 euros. Urbagestión subsequently reduced the rent to 1,650 euros, an amount that still exceeded Abascal's pension. Courts blocked three previous eviction attempts before police forced entry on Wednesday and removed her on a stretcher to a hospital for exhaustion.
- Abascal's father first rents the apartment in Madrid's Retiro neighborhood
- Building changes ownership before being acquired by investment fund Urbagestión
- Police evict 87-year-old Abascal and transfer her to a hospital on a stretcher
- Abascal releases a video message from her hospital bed calling for legal reforms
- Thousands march through central Madrid demanding tenant protections
Abascal addressed supporters on Friday in a video message recorded from her hospital bed and distributed by the tenants' union.
I haven't managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what's theirs.
- Original rent
- 500 EUR
- Urbagestión initial demand
- 2650 EUR
- Urbagestión lowered offer
- 1650 EUR
Political pressure on the Sánchez administration
The eviction has intensified political pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez ahead of the general election scheduled for 2027. Sánchez's cabinet plans to debate a package of housing regulations known as the 'Maricarmen decree' during its next meeting. The draft measures include the automatic renewal of rental contracts and stricter limitations on tenant evictions. Sánchez had pledged last year to address housing costs, but his minority government faces challenges in parliament, where a similar tenant protection bill was defeated earlier this year.
National deficit in public housing
The protests point to broad supply shortages across the Spanish housing market. The Bank of Spain estimated a nationwide shortage of about 550,000 residential units last year, with Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia accounting for substantial shares of that deficit. Public rental housing represents less than 2% of Spain's available supply, compared with an average of 8% across the European Union. Previous policies of selling publicly funded housing to private buyers depleted state reserves, while population growth and tourism have added demand in major metropolitan centers.
