Archive · 25 Sep 2026
Nearly 10,000 Protest Eviction of 87-Year-Old Madrid Tenant
María del Carmen Abascal lived in the same Madrid home for 71 years.
She moved there when she was 17 years old.
The building’s owner increased her rent far beyond what she could afford.
Her pension was €1,350 each month, while the rent was later set at €1,650.
Courts gave different decisions about whether she could stay.
Supporters and nearly 10,000 protesters tried to stop the eviction.
The United Nations committee also asked Spain to stop it.
On the eviction day, Abascal was given 30 minutes to pack.
She was carried out on a stretcher and taken away in an ambulance.
María del Carmen “Maricarmen” Abascal was evicted from her Madrid apartment after living there for 71 years.
The landlord, investment fund Urbagestion, raised the monthly rent from €500 to €2,650 before reducing it to €1,650.
Abascal’s monthly pension of €1,350 was insufficient to cover the revised rent.
A lower court ruled in her favor in 2022, but Spain’s Supreme Court ruled against her in March 2026.
Nearly 10,000 protesters gathered during the eviction, while authorities sought alternative accommodation for Abascal.
- Who
- María del Carmen “Maricarmen” Abascal, Urbagestion, Spanish authorities, courts, and nearly 10,000 protesters.
- What
- An 87-year-old woman was forcefully evicted from the Madrid apartment where she had lived for 71 years.
- When
- The eviction took place on September 23; the article also reports court decisions in 2022 and March 2026, creating a chronology discrepancy.
- Where
- Madrid’s Retiro neighbourhood, Spain.
- Why
- Urbagestion argued that the old tenancy arrangement was no longer applicable and that Abascal’s occupation was invalid; the rent had also become unaffordable for her.
Abascal’s Supporters and Housing Advocates
Urbagestion and Court Decision
Right to remain
Abascal’s Supporters and Housing Advocates
Supporters argued that Abascal should not be removed after living in the apartment for 71 years, and humanitarian appeals sought to suspend the eviction.
Urbagestion and Court Decision
Urbagestion argued that the old-style tenancy contract was no longer applicable and that Abascal’s occupation was invalid.
Affordability
Abascal’s Supporters and Housing Advocates
Supporters pointed to the rent increase and Abascal’s €1,350 pension as evidence that she could not afford to remain.
Urbagestion and Court Decision
The landlord raised the rent from €500, first to €2,650 and then to €1,650, while pursuing its case through the courts.
Legal outcome
Abascal’s Supporters and Housing Advocates
A lower court ruled in Abascal’s favor in 2022, and the United Nations committee called on Spain to stop the eviction.
Urbagestion and Court Decision
Spain’s Supreme Court later ruled against Abascal, after which the eviction proceeded despite protests and appeals.
- Tenant
- María del Carmen “Maricarmen” Abascal, aged 87
- Length of residence
- 71 years
- Neighbourhood
- Retiro, Madrid
- Original rent
- €500 per month
- Later rent
- Raised to €2,650, then lowered to €1,650
- Monthly pension
- €1,350
- Protest turnout
- Nearly 10,000 people
- Eviction conditions
- Abascal was given 30 minutes to pack and removed on a stretcher