In brief
In Madrid a senior citizen was forced to leave her long‑time flat after the rent was tripled by a property investment firm. The eviction, the fourth attempt, provoked a street rally that saw police block the entrance and supporters chant her name. Government officials cited a UN call to protect vulnerable pensioners while demanding the firm negotiate a fair rate. The episode exposes a broader crisis: rents in Madrid have doubled in the past decade and many tenants cannot afford modern market prices.
An 87‑year‑old Madrid resident was ordered to vacate a flat that she has called home for 70 years after the managing company raised the rent from €500 to more than €2,500.
The owner company, Urbagestión, acquired the property in 2018 and claimed legal work allowing a dramatic rent increase. The landlord later lowered the rate to €1,650, still beyond the woman’s monthly pension of €1,350, and the eviction was pursued for the fourth time.
Local activists rallied in front of the building, joined by celebrities and chanting “Maricarmen stays”. Police deployed with batons, pulling media away from the site and detaining protestors in the street.
A representative of the tenants’ union shouted from a megaphone that people should imagine a grandmother in the woman’s situation and displease the eviction tactics. Her lawyer described the police presence as “completely disproportionate” and military–level in scale.
The case attracted international attention, with the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights urging the authorities to stop the eviction and offer affordable housing alternatives. The Spanish government said the woman had declined a city‑proposed care‑home offer.
An anonymous donor offered to subsidise the rent but the landlord rejected the assistance, and the eviction proceeded. Housing Minister Teresa Rodríguez criticized speculation as the root of escalating rents that hurt millions of Spaniards.
In Madrid rents have risen by more than 100% over ten years, according to property site Idealista, causing a shortage of affordable units. The Socialist government has targeted speculative investors, yet critics say it must build more housing instead of just punishing speculators, warning that fear of rent hikes may push owners off the market.
