Maricarmen, 87, was carried from her Madrid apartment on a hospital stretcher on September 23, 2026, after an eviction in the Retiro district. She had lived there her whole life. Her belongings remained behind. Reuters and BBC reported that she was taken straight to hospital after being removed from her home. The eviction, carried out by investment fund Urbagestión, ended seven decades of tenancy and renewed anger over housing insecurity in Madrid.
Urbagestión refused to negotiate. The company bought the building in 2018 and demanded €1,650 a month from Maricarmen, more than triple the €500 she had paid under her old “renta antigua” contract. She could not afford the new rent. Her pension was about €1,350, information from ARA and russpain.com. The fund went ahead with the eviction, giving her less than an hour to collect her belongings. El País reported that it was the fourth legal action against her, after years of unresolved conflict with the new owner.
Maricarmen’s ordeal is not unique. Her story spread quickly after she sent a video message from her hospital bed, and she became a symbol for Madrid tenants facing the same threat. In her own words: “I have not managed to defend my house, but I have fought so that others learn to fight for theirs.” She urged Madrid residents to join a demonstration organized by the Sindicato de Inquilinas. The march will run from Puerta del Sol to the Congress of Deputies, demanding answers to the eviction crisis. Demócrata reported that protests quickly spread to 12 cities across Spain after her eviction.
Maricarmen’s tenancy began in 1956, when her father signed the first lease. After his death, the contract passed to her mother, then to Maricarmen. Its terms stayed the same: annual rent updates tied to inflation and extra charges such as property tax. For nearly twenty years, she had the security of Spain’s old rent control system. That ended when Urbagestión took over. The fund pushed for a 275% rent hike and tried to evict her four times. DW reported that Inquilinas de Madrid called her case part of a wider “rental bubble” in the region. The Spanish government also criticized the eviction decision.
Maricarmen won a first-instance court ruling but lost on appeal. Spain’s Supreme Court sided with the investor, and the eviction went ahead without real negotiation. Tenant groups condemned the move. The case has put fresh pressure on so-called “vulture funds” in Spain’s housing market. Reuters reported that hundreds of protesters gathered outside Maricarmen’s building during the eviction. Police used force, including tear gas and pepper spray, to disperse the crowd.
Her story has already shaped the public debate, as reported earlier. Political parties and activists are using her case to press for urgent reforms.
From her hospital bed, Maricarmen thanked those who supported her and urged authorities to confront aggressive investment funds. The protest she inspired is set to take the issue directly to Spain’s lawmakers. Her supporters say her loss must lead to action.
This eviction shows the harsh reality facing many elderly and vulnerable tenants in Madrid. When legal protections disappear and negotiation is off the table, investors hold the power. Maricarmen’s fate is a warning: without strong policy action, more lifelong residents could be forced out by financial interests that ignore the human cost.
