Abascal Eviction Fuels Spain’s Housing Reform Push

Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old disabled pensioner whose eviction became a symbol of Spain’s housing crisis, may return to her Madrid apartment under a proposed new rental agreement, her lawyer says. Abascal was forcibly removed from the home on a stretcher on 23 September and later admitted to hospital. The eviction provoked widespread public anger and protests, including a march by tens of thousands of people in Madrid demanding stronger tenant protections and more affordable housing. Abascal’s family first rented the apartment in 1956, and she remained there after her parents died. Her rent had been capped, but investment firm Urbagestión, which bought the property in 2018, raised it from €500 a month to €2,650. The firm later offered a reduced rent of €1,650, still beyond reach for Abascal, whose monthly pension is €1,350. Courts had blocked three earlier eviction attempts. Lawyer Beatriz Duro said the prospective agreement reflected goodwill from both sides and would allow Abascal to pay a rent similar to what she had paid before, avoiding a major increase. The deal has not yet been signed; Abascal is being treated for exhaustion and will sign when she feels better. Duro described the agreement as the result of public mobilisation. Supporters welcomed the outcome as a victory but said they would continue campaigning against similar evictions and for affordable homes. The case comes amid a broader shortage of housing in Spain. The Bank of Spain estimates that the country lacks 700,000 homes, based on the difference between demand and new construction. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has promised housing relief measures, while his Socialist Party, which does not hold a parliamentary majority, is seeking to pass a law in response to public outrage.

Spain’s coalition government has approved proposed housing measures after protests over housing costs and the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid home. The proposals include a possible ban on evictions until 2030, extending rental contracts until 2028, tighter regulation of short-term and room rentals, and a ban on investment firms buying homes. Health Minister Mónica García said the measures could help more than five million people and credited protests and encampments with pushing the government to act. The plan faces uncertainty in parliament, where the minority coalition of the Socialists and Sumar lacks a majority. It must secure support within 30 days of the decree’s publication, and Congress is due to vote on the proposals on Friday. Junts spokeswoman Míriam Nogueras supported stopping evictions when properties belong to large investment funds but argued that the proposals risk treating small landlords—people who invested personal savings in a property—like major funds. The measures are to be presented as two separate bills. Abascal’s eviction helped galvanize the demonstrations. Her lawyer said she had reached an agreement with the company that owns her home and would be allowed to return, although she had not yet signed the deal after being hospitalized following her removal on a stretcher. In Zaragoza, another woman’s eviction was temporarily suspended. Protests began in Madrid and spread to Barcelona, Seville, Malaga and Cadiz; thousands marched in Madrid demanding stronger tenant protections and warning that demonstrations would continue without action. The protests come amid a severe shortage of housing and rapidly rising costs. The Bank of Spain estimates a shortfall of 700,000 homes. House prices rose 12.2% in the year to the second quarter of 2026, while rents rose 8.5% in 2025, according to Idealista. Madrid and Barcelona were identified as Spain’s most expensive cities for renters.

Spain’s coalition government has agreed on measures intended to address the country’s housing crisis, following nationwide protests sparked by the eviction of 87-year-old Maria del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, from her Madrid apartment. The proposed legislation would pause evictions until 2030, tighten rules on short-term rentals, and extend existing leases by two years. Health Minister Monica Garcia described the measures as an effort to curb speculation and rebalance the housing market between residents and large investment funds. The government approved the package, but it is not yet law. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez leads a minority government, so the bill will need support from other parties in parliament. His Socialists had been negotiating with coalition partner Sumar and other parties, and Housing Minister Isabel Rodriguez was due to speak at a press conference. Maricarmen’s case drew widespread attention after images showed riot police escorting her from the apartment, where she had lived since 1956. Her father originally rented the property in Madrid’s Retiro neighborhood. According to El Pais, the apartment was managed by a real estate company after it acquired the property in 2018, and a legal dispute over her tenancy continued for eight years, with the latest eviction attempt being the fourth. Maricarmen uses a wheelchair. The case resonated amid rising housing costs and a shortage of homes in Spain. Thousands rallied in Madrid over the weekend, and some protesters camped in Puerta del Sol. Maricarmen’s lawyer said she would be able to return home, calling the outcome a result of public mobilization. The lawyer expressed hope that the agreement would help change how similar housing disputes are resolved, while noting that such cases occur regularly.

Spain’s cabinet has approved two decrees intended to address high housing costs and difficulties faced by renters and prospective buyers. The measures come amid growing public pressure, including protests against evictions and the recent removal from her Madrid home of 87-year-old Maricarmen. Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez called housing the country’s main problem and described the crisis as complex. The broader decree is organized around four priorities: strengthening protections for vulnerable tenants facing eviction; curbing speculative housing purchases, including activity by investment funds; addressing rental-market abuses such as short-term and room-by-room contracts used to bypass rules; and improving affordability and access to home ownership. The proposals include extending the “social shield” against evictions until 2030, a proposed 10% VAT on tourist apartments, tax breaks for landlords, and a zero-interest “Tu Casa” financing scheme to help eligible people buy their first home. The government also proposes reducing VAT to 4% for protected and publicly developed housing and increasing construction of affordable homes. A separate decree would provide greater stability and security in rental contracts. The cabinet’s approval followed difficult negotiations within Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s coalition, including disagreements involving junior partner Sumar and the Catalan pro-independence party Junts. The government is seeking an extraordinary parliamentary session to move the proposals forward quickly, but their passage still requires congressional ratification. Housing protests are continuing despite the cabinet decision. The Tenants’ Union and other groups have maintained an encampment at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and demonstrations have taken place in other cities. Regional authorities have given the central government’s delegation 48 hours to dismantle the encampment and threatened court action if it remains.

A deal with the owners of her home means 87-year-old Madrid pensioner Maricarmen Abascal can return after being evicted, her lawyer said on Monday. The eviction, which took place the previous Wednesday, drew nationwide attention and sparked protests, intensifying pressure on Spain’s government to address the country’s housing crisis. The article describes unaffordable housing as a long-running problem in Spain, while Abascal’s case has pushed the issue to the forefront of political debate. Protests have taken place in Madrid and elsewhere in the country. Demonstrators have pitched roughly 100 tents in the emblematic Puerta del Sol square since Saturday night, and tens of thousands of people have protested nationwide. The headline also links the case to the prime minister’s efforts to seek a new housing law, though the supplied article text does not provide details about the proposed law or the terms of the agreement that will allow Abascal to return. The report presents the agreement as a resolution to Abascal’s immediate housing predicament, but situates it within a wider national crisis that remains a subject of public protest and political pressure. It does not state whether the deal addresses broader housing affordability or what government measures may follow.

Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Madrid pensioner whose eviction became a focus of Spain’s housing protests, will be able to return to her apartment after reaching an agreement with its owners, her lawyer Beatriz Duro said. The deal provides for rent similar to what Abascal had previously paid. She was removed from the home, where she had lived for 70 years, on a stretcher and is being treated in hospital for exhaustion. Her supporters say the property company had raised her rent by 275 percent to €2,650 a month. The eviction triggered widespread demonstrations amid long-running concerns about high rents, inadequate affordable housing and weak tenant protections. Protesters set up about 100 tents in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, and tens of thousands demonstrated around the country. In Barcelona, around 2,000 people called on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to adopt substantial housing measures. The Catalan Tenants’ Union demanded a rent freeze, indefinite rental contracts and anti-eviction measures, rejecting what it called temporary fixes. Sánchez’s Socialist government is negotiating a housing package with junior coalition partner Sumar and other parties, but it lacks a parliamentary majority and a similar bill failed earlier in the year. The protests add pressure on the government as it seeks to respond to public anger. Housing costs have risen sharply: Idealista reported that average rents per square metre had nearly doubled over the past decade, reaching €15.10 in August. Purchase prices were €2,355 per square metre, up more than 50 percent over the same period, according to official figures. The Bank of Spain estimates the country faces a shortage of 700,000 homes. Analysts cite rising demand, including tourism and population growth linked to immigration, alongside Spain’s limited public housing supply.