In brief
Maricarmen, who had lived in her Madrid flat for 70 years, was evicted after an investment firm doubled the rent from €500 to €2,650, then cut it to €1,650, still unaffordable for her €1,350 pension. Three prior court orders had blocked the eviction, but police intervention made a final attempt in the midst of a protest that drew celebrities and thousands of supporters chanting “Maricarmen stays.” A donor’s offer to cover the rent was rejected, and the eviction proceeded. Spain’s broader housing shortage and rent inflation have pushed many, especially the elderly, into precarious situations, prompting calls from the government and the UN to protect vulnerable tenants.
Maricarmen had lived in a Madrid flat in the Retiro district for 70 years, a story that shocked citizens when she was slated for eviction on Wednesday after the property’s new owners, Urbagestión, jacked the rent from €500 to €2,650. Despite a later reduction to €1,650, the monthly €1,350 pension left her unable to pay, prompting a fight in the courts for four years before police finally tried to remove her.
The eviction sparked large protests. Teenagers, activists, and celebrities—including Carlos, brother of Javier Bardem, and singer Ana Belén—gathered outside the building chanting “Maricarmen stays.” A volunteer brigade helped pack her belongings, while the plaintiff’s lawyer, Beatriz Duro, labeled the police presence “a military operation” that felt disproportionate to an 87‑year‑old’s debt.
A donor offered to cover most of the outstanding rent, but Urbagestión reportedly refused. The Spanish Housing Minister, Teresa Rodríguez, condemned the speculative surge in rents as “unbridled speculation” that feeds “vultures” and requires governmental intervention. The government’s failings, experts argue, are magnified by soaring Madrid rents, which have risen more than 100 % in the last decade, and by an overarching shortage of housing supply.
