María del Carmen Abascal, universally known as Maricarmen, has been removed from her long-time home in Madrid’s Retiro district. On Wednesday, court officials carried out the eviction at 46 Alcalde Sainz de Baranda Street, where the 87-year-old had resided since 1956.
Fourth attempt ends in eviction
Dozens gathered at the building entrance from the early hours of Wednesday, but police erected a cordon blocking press and supporters. At around 10:30 a.m., after an hour of talks between Maricarmen’s lawyer and court officers, the eviction was confirmed to proceed.
Officers forcibly cleared protesters, and an ambulance waited at the doorway while medics entered with a stretcher to remove the elderly woman. Spanish media reported that activists tried to obstruct the eviction in the street, stairwell, and inside the flat; police removed them.
Lawyer Beatriz Duro made a final plea for a few days to allow Maricarmen to find housing. The company refused. “They would not give her even a few hours to clear her belongings,” Duro complained.
Decades-old regulated tenancy at center of dispute
The conflict dates back nearly 70 years. Maricarmen’s parents signed the original regulated tenancy in 1956, with her father as tenant. It passed to his wife upon his death, and to Maricarmen after her mother’s death in 2005.
The property had belonged to a private family for decades before being sold in 2018 to Urbagestión Desarrollo e Inversión S.L., a Madrid- and Valladolid-based company investing in buildings, homes, land, commercial premises, offices, and hotels.
The company maintained the second succession was invalid and the contract had expired. The Supreme Court sided with the owners in March, overturning a lower court ruling that had favored Maricarmen.
Maricarmen lives on a pension far below the €2,500 monthly rent the company demands—several times her previous rent—and has a disability that made the amount unaffordable.
Urbagestión is also pursuing €10,000 from the Madrid Tenants’ Union over damages from the support campaign.
The first eviction attempt came in October 2025 and was halted the day before. A second attempt on 2 June was also postponed at the last minute.
UN appeal ignored
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights called on Spain to stop the eviction and guarantee Maricarmen access to adequate housing. The June request failed to prevent the removal.
In Congress, Socialist spokesperson Patxi López defended the government, placing responsibility on Madrid City Council and the regional government for housing, while noting the owners had rejected every offer to buy the flat.
Maricarmen is leaving the home she has occupied since age 17, where her parents also died, ending a years-long legal battle that made her a symbol of Madrid’s housing crisis.
Madrid City Council attempted to quell controversy, insisting it had already offered Maricarmen housing options on previous occasions. Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida said municipal services had contacted her beforehand but declined further details for privacy reasons.
The City Hall housing department claims Maricarmen explicitly rejected every accommodation offered. The same happened Wednesday, when Samur Social again proposed a residential facility; she declined and moved in with relatives.