87-year-old woman was forced out of her home on a stretcher. After protests erupted, she now has a chance to go back to her house

An 87-year-old woman who was forcibly evicted from her Madrid apartment after living there for 71 years is set to return home under a preliminary agreement with the company that owns the property, her lawyer said. María del Carmen “Maricarmen” Abascal’s eviction last week had triggered large protests and put Spain’s housing crisis at the centre of national debate.

Abascal still needs to approve the agreement. She is currently in hospital after leaving her home on a stretcher following the eviction on September 23.

New agreement details

The BBC reported that according to her lawyer Beatriz Duro, discussions with property owner Urbagestión resulted in an agreement under which Abascal would receive an eight-year lease.


The proposed rent would be equivalent to 30% of her income, bringing it closer to what she had originally paid for the apartment. Spanish public broadcaster RTVE reported that the arrangement would allow her to pay a similar amount to her original rent.

Duro told reporters there had been “goodwill from both parties” during the discussions. She also described the agreement as a better outcome after a situation that, in her words, came “late” and followed a situation “no one should ever have to endure,” according to RTVE.

Abascal was unable to participate in the meeting because she was receiving treatment in hospital for exhaustion, the BBC reported. She is expected to sign the agreement once she feels better.

Her rent had risen far beyond her pension

Abascal had moved into the apartment with her family when she was 17. Her father signed the original regulated tenancy agreement in the 1950s, and the tenancy eventually passed to her after the deaths of her parents.

Her monthly rent was initially €500. After Urbagestión acquired the building in 2018, it was raised to €2,650 before later being reduced to €1,650, according to El País.

That amount remained unaffordable for Abascal, whose monthly pension is €1,350.

The legal battle over the apartment continued for years. Three earlier eviction attempts were rejected by courts, but Spain's Supreme Court ruled against Abascal in March, overturning a January 2022 decision that had been in her favour.

The eviction eventually took place on September 23. She was reportedly given 30 minutes to collect essential belongings before being removed from the apartment.

Eviction led to protests across Madrid

Images of Abascal being taken from the building on a stretcher, with police officers present, quickly circulated online and prompted protests.

Thousands demonstrated in Madrid, while protesters also gathered at Puerta del Sol, where people opposing the country's housing situation set up camps. Around 1,000 protesters celebrated news of the proposed agreement at the square, according to the BBC.

Madrid's tenants' union, which helped organise protests, also welcomed the development. “Together we are stronger than any politician, judge or speculator,” it said on social media.

The case has become a symbol of wider concerns over rental affordability in Spain, where demand for housing has outpaced supply in major urban areas.

Government announces housing measures

The controversy also coincided with new housing measures announced by Spain's coalition government.

According to DW-TV, Health Minister Monica Garcia said the government had agreed on legislation that would include a ban on evictions until 2030, tighter rules for short-term rentals and a two-year extension for existing leases. The proposals still need parliamentary approval because Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government does not have a majority.

The New York Times reported that the government was under pressure after Abascal's eviction and that her case had pushed housing higher on the political agenda.