Spain's Housing Crisis: 87-Year-Old Tenant Evicted After Rent Skyrockets
The forced removal of a long-term tenant from her Madrid home highlights the growing problem of unaffordable housing and speculative investment in Spain.
An 87-year-old woman, Maricarmen, was evicted from her Madrid apartment after the property's owner, an investment firm, drastically increased her rent, a case that has brought Spain's deepening housing crisis into sharp focus. Maricarmen had lived in the Retiro district apartment for seven decades, having taken over the tenancy from her father in 1956. For years, her rent was capped under a previous agreement.
However, the situation changed when the property was purchased in 2018 by Urbagestión. The firm cited a legal loophole to raise her rent from €500 (approximately $572) to €2,650 per month. Although Urbagestión later reduced the proposed rent to €1,650, it remained unaffordable for Maricarmen, whose monthly pension is €1,350.
Despite previous court-ordered reprieves, three attempts to evict her had been blocked before the final removal. The case garnered significant public attention, with supporters, including celebrities, camping outside the building and activists attempting to block the eviction. Maricarmen, in a tearful social media post, thanked her supporters, calling the eviction a "cruel struggle by someone who wants to earn money."
An anonymous donor reportedly offered to cover most of her outstanding rent, but Urbagestión rejected the proposal, and the eviction proceeded. "Today is a very sad day, a very dramatic day, when it's plain to see the effects of unbridled speculation," said Housing Minister Teresa Rodríguez, criticizing what she described as a lack of market control that favors "vultures and speculators."
Spain has been grappling with a severe shortage of affordable housing, leading to soaring rental costs. In Madrid alone, rental prices have more than doubled over the past decade, with a 10% increase in the last year, according to property site Idealista. The government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has stated its intention to protect individuals vulnerable to such speculative practices. However, critics argue that the government needs to accelerate the construction of new housing and that its rhetoric may deter property owners from entering the rental market.