An 87-year-old Madrid tenant, Maricarmen, was evicted from the Retiro flat her family rented since 1956 after investment firm Urbagestión raised the monthly rent from €500 to €2,650 (later reduced to €1,650), more than her €1,350 pension. Courts had previously blocked three eviction attempts and the UN called for a suspension and alternative housing. Supporters and celebrities protested while police cleared the entrance; an anonymous offer to cover most of the new rent was reportedly rejected and the eviction proceeded.
87-Year-Old Evicted After 70 Years in Madrid Flat as Housing Crisis Sparks Protests
Maricarmen had to leave the flat she had lived in for 70 years on Wednesday [Getty Images]
An 87-year-old woman known as Maricarmen has been evicted from the Retiro flat her family rented in Madrid since 1956, a case that has focused renewed attention on Spain's growing housing crisis.
Volunteers helped pack up Maricarmen's belongings [Getty Images]
Maricarmen inherited the tenancy after her parents died and lived in the apartment for around seven decades under a capped-rent arrangement. The building was bought in 2018 by investment firm Urbagestión, which invoked a legal technicality to raise the monthly rent from €500 to €2,650. The company later lowered the demand to €1,650, still well above Maricarmen's €1,350 monthly pension.
Protesters had gathered outside the building on Tuesday under the slogan "Maricarmen is staying" [Getty Images]
Court rulings had blocked three previous eviction attempts, and international bodies weighed in: in June the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights urged that the eviction be suspended and that affordable alternative accommodation be offered. Local authorities say they offered Maricarmen a place in an elderly care home, which she declined. The central government said it repeatedly sought to negotiate with Urbagestión, which has not publicly commented to the BBC.
Maricarmen emerged from the house in a wheelchair to greet her supporters [Getty Images]
Protests, Celebrity Support and a Failed Last-Minute Offer
Supporters camped outside the building overnight, and by morning several hundred mainly young activists had gathered, chanting "Maricarmen stays." Actor Carlos Bardem and singer Ana Belén joined demonstrators; Belén read Rafael Alberti's poem "Desahucio" ("Eviction"). In a social-media video, a tearful Maricarmen thanked those who came out to support her "against this cruel struggle by someone who wants to earn money."
Overcome with emotion at the gathering, the elderly woman broke into tears [Getty Images]
Police cordoned off part of the street, removed people from the entrance and at times used batons, striking some protesters and pushing back members of the media, according to witnesses. Activists from tenants' group Sindicato de Inquilinas urged onlookers to imagine Maricarmen as a relative: "Think for 10 seconds about Maricarmen, who could be your own grandmother."
Volunteers packed her belongings and she ultimately left the flat in a wheelchair to greet supporters. Reports say an anonymous donor offered to pay most of the new rent at the last minute, but Urbagestión reportedly rejected the offer and the eviction went ahead.
"Today is a very sad day… the effects of unbridled speculation," said Housing Minister Teresa Rodríguez, condemning the outcome and blaming market speculation for worsening housing access.
Broader Context
Spain has seen sharp rent rises in recent years, putting pressure on low-income households and pensioners. Property site Idealista reports that rents in Madrid have more than doubled over the past decade and rose by about 10% in the last year alone. The Socialist-led government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has criticized investment practices that inflate housing costs, while critics argue the government also needs to increase housing supply and build more affordable homes.
This eviction has become a symbol of wider tensions in Spain over tenant protections, investment in residential property, and public policy responses to a deepening affordability crisis.
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