Police evicted Mari Carmen Abascal, 87, from the Madrid apartment where she had lived for decades, just after 11:00 a.m. El Español identified the address as Alcalde Sainz de Baranda, 46. It was the fourth attempt to evict her. The first three were postponed because of her age and opposition from neighbors and activists. Her rent rose from 500 euros to 1,650 euros a month after an investment fund bought the building in 2018.
The eviction ended a tense standoff that had lasted for weeks, marked by repeated delays and growing protests. Authorities had tried three times to remove Abascal, but stopped each time because of her vulnerability and resistance from local groups and anti-eviction activists. On the fourth attempt, police cleared demonstrators from the entrance and carried out the court order. The Sindicato de Inquilinas and other supporters called for a solution, but police proceeded. RTVE and other Spanish outlets reported that hundreds of people gathered outside, hoping to stop the eviction.
Abascal had lived in the same apartment for approximately 70 to 71 years and has a 50% disability. Both factors intensified the public response to her eviction.
The crisis began in 2018, when the investment fund Urbagestión Desarrollo e Inversión SL, also called Urbagesa, bought Abascal’s building. Her rent then jumped from 500 euros to 1,650 euros a month, a 275% increase confirmed by several sources. Talks to delay the eviction went nowhere. El Español and Heraldo reported that the Sindicato de Inquilinas requested a one-month extension, but the new owner refused. A writer also offered to pay Abascal’s rent, but Urbagestión rejected every offer and refused to compromise or wait.
The legal dispute over Abascal’s tenancy reached the Supreme Court of Spain, which ruled in March in favor of the property owner on the validity of the rental contract’s second subrogation. The decision effectively closed Abascal’s legal avenues to remain in the apartment.
Politicians and lawyers also became involved. Alejandra Jacinto, a lawyer and former Unidas Podemos deputy in the Madrid Assembly, criticized the police action and said the property fund had blocked all attempts at a deal. Podemos MEP Irene Montero was warned by police for “inciting the crowd” after she tried to speak with the officer in charge. Police told her she was “just another citizen” and had to follow the same rules as everyone else. Spain’s Ministry of Housing called on Madrid’s mayor and the regional president to intervene and stop the eviction, criticizing the property owner for rejecting every proposed solution.
For Abascal, the eviction ended a lifetime in the same home. She said she was sad to leave and unsure what would happen next, but thanked neighbors and activists for standing by her. The scene outside her building reflected Spain’s housing crisis, where vulnerable people face rising rents and landlords who refuse to negotiate. In another recent case, authorities in Ibiza cleared a wetland camp, forcing dozens to leave with almost no warning, as reported earlier.
The case shows the power large investment funds can wield over tenants, especially older people. When a landlord can raise rent from 500 euros to 1,650 euros a month and reject offers of help, legal protections for vulnerable people can seem thin. Abascal’s forced eviction shows how little security decades in the same home may offer in Spain’s overheated rental market when profit comes first.
