Urbagestión Desarrollo e Inversión has asked Madrid’s city hall to add Maricarmen Abascal’s flat at Alcalde Sainz de Baranda, 46, to the Reviva program. If the council agrees, she could return under a stable, below-market rent. RTVE and Reuters report that the company’s offer is for a "stable and affordable" lease. The proposal follows days of public anger and a flood of emails that, Urbagestión says, crashed its servers and made it difficult to respond.
The company says the flat is not for sale. Instead, it has offered to hand it over temporarily to the Empresa Municipal de Vivienda y Suelo (EMVS), which would then sublet it at an affordable rate. Urbagestión says it is open to other solutions the city or public bodies might suggest. The council has not replied or explained how the plan would work. Maricarmen, who is 87 and has a 50% disability, had lived in the flat since 1956. RTVE and Reuters confirm her long history there, which Euronews has also reported.
Urbagestión’s lawyer signed a statement confirming that the company received a purchase offer from pianist James Rhodes. No price was named, and the offer came after Maricarmen had been evicted. The company did not mention other offers, including one from a well-known writer who reportedly wanted to pay Maricarmen’s rent. Urbagestión says it has tried to reach a deal since 2023, offering a new contract with rent set 40-50% below market rates. Spanish media cited by 20minutos and El Español report that Maricarmen’s rent rose from about 500 euros to as much as 2,650 euros per month. A lower figure of 1,650 euros was discussed later.
The Sindicato de Inquilinas says neither its representatives nor Maricarmen’s lawyer have seen a direct offer. "For us, it is not real because nothing has reached us," a spokesperson said. Reuters reports that Maricarmen’s lawyers asked for the eviction to be suspended, but the court rejected the request. The eviction went ahead on September 23, 2026, despite protests and appeals.
Madrid’s Reviva program brings empty private flats back into use. Owners hand them over to the EMVS, which rents them out at affordable prices; owners retain legal title and receive the rent paid by tenants. As of January, the city said 200 flats were in the program, but the process for adding new properties remains unclear, as does the timeline. In March, Spain’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the property owners, overturning a lower court decision that had supported Maricarmen, Euronews reports. The ruling enabled the eviction to proceed despite ongoing public and legal appeals.
Urbagestión’s latest statement repeats its earlier denial of most published accounts of Maricarmen’s eviction. The company says it owns only this flat, not the whole building, and is waiting for the city’s answer. RTVE notes that Urbagestión rejects the "vulture fund" label and says it wants to work with public authorities.
The case has drawn national attention. For more background, see the earlier breakdown on the standoff. The dispute over private property rights and public housing policy is unfolding alongside questions about the circumstances of vulnerable tenants. Maricarmen’s future depends on whether Madrid’s city hall acts quickly.
There has been no direct contact with Maricarmen’s advocates, and the city has set no timeline or conditions. Urbagestión has made an offer; until the council acts, Maricarmen’s hope for a stable, affordable home remains only a promise. The case highlights the fragility of tenant protections in Madrid. Goodwill carries little weight while officials remain silent.
