Evicted Spanish pensioner can move back home, lawyer says
The eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, 87, prompted large-scale protests across Spain.
Evicted Spanish pensioner can move back home, lawyer says
The eviction of Maricarmen Abascal sparked major protests across Spain.
An elderly disabled woman who became a symbol of Spain’s housing crisis will be allowed to return to her Madrid home, her lawyer has said.
Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was forcibly taken out of her apartment of more than 70 years on a stretcher on 23 September. She was taken to hospital after the eviction.
The removal caused anger nationwide, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has pledged housing relief measures when his cabinet meets on Tuesday.
Abascal’s lawyer, Beatriz Duro, said at a press conference that there had been "goodwill from both parties" and that Abascal would pay a similar rent under a new contract, avoiding a sharp increase.
Abascal’s father first leased the property in 1956, and after her parents died she remained the tenant, during which time the rent was capped.
Investment firm Urbagestión, which purchased the property in 2018, raised the rent from €500 per month (£428; $572) to €2,650 (£2,280; $3,020).
The company later proposed cutting it to €1,650, but she still could not afford that on her monthly pension of €1,350.
Three earlier attempts to evict her were stopped by the courts.
Her case set off protests across the country, and tens of thousands of people marched through the Spanish capital on Saturday to oppose the eviction and demand stronger tenant protections amid a housing shortage and rising rents.
Duro said the agreement, which has yet to be signed, was the "result of the social mobilisation".
She added that Abascal, who is being treated for exhaustion, would sign the deal when she feels better.
Supporters described it as a victory, but said they would keep fighting to stop similar evictions and to push for more affordable housing.
The Bank of Spain estimates the country is short of 700,000 homes, based on the gap between demand and new construction.
Pedro Sanchez's Socialist Party, which does not have a majority in Parliament, is hoping to pass a law to calm public anger.