Maria del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Madrid resident known across Spain as Maricarmen, will return to her home after a real estate firm offered to reduce her rent back to its pre-dispute rate following mass protests over the country’s housing crisis, her representatives said on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
Eviction Backlash Forces Real Estate Firm to Reverse Rent Hike
Maricarmen’s lawyer announced that the property owner agreed to cap her monthly payments at about $570 for the next eight years. That amount accounts for roughly 30 percent of her pension. The reversal follows an eviction that took place last week, which transformed the elderly tenant into the central figure of Spain’s deepening housing crisis.
The dispute began when an international investment fund purchased her building and hiked her rent by more than 200 percent to approximately $1,880 a month.
Mass Protests Erupt in Madrid and Across Spain
In response to the eviction, Madrid’s tenants’ union organized large protests and encampments in the central Puerta del Sol square. The demonstrations drew tens of thousands of people before spreading rapidly to dozens of other cities across Spain. Following the landlord’s concession, the tenants’ union celebrated the agreement in a post on X, describing the outcome as a historic win.
Did you know? Spain’s central bank reports that the country faces a housing deficit of roughly 755,000 homes, a shortage projected to widen to a million units by 2028.
Legislative Response and Parliamentary Vote
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist government responded to the widespread public outcry by assembling a package of housing measures scheduled for a parliamentary vote this Friday. The focal proposal of the package extends expired tenant safeguards through 2030, which would shield vulnerable residents like Abascal from eviction during that timeframe.
While the proposed legislation aims to curb tenant displacement, it falls short of the demands raised by protesters in the streets. The government package is also expected to encounter strong opposition from conservative parties aligned with landlord interests.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Madrid Rent Dispute
Who is Maricarmen and why did she face eviction?
Maria del Carmen Abascal is an 87-year-old tenant in Madrid whose rent was raised by over 200 percent to $1,880 a month by an international investment fund that bought her building.
What are the terms of the new rental agreement?
Under the deal secured by her lawyer, her monthly rent is reduced to about $570 and capped at that rate for eight years, consuming roughly 30 percent of her pension.
How did the government react to the protests?
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s administration introduced a legislative package slated for a parliamentary vote that would extend expired tenant protections through 2030 to prevent similar evictions.
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