María del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, has been evicted from her Madrid apartment after living there since 1956, despite objections from housing activists and a request from a United Nations committee to halt the removal.
The 87-year-old left the property on Alcalde Sainz de Baranda Street on Wednesday after a fourth eviction attempt was carried out. The case has drawn renewed attention to Spain’s housing crisis, regulated tenancies and the limits of international appeals in national legal proceedings.
Eviction carried out after three previous postponements
Supporters gathered outside the building from the early morning in an effort to prevent the eviction. Police established a cordon around the entrance and later removed protesters from the street, stairwell and apartment, according to Spanish media reports.
After discussions involving Maricarmen’s lawyer, Beatriz Duro, and court officials, the eviction was confirmed at about 10:30 local time. Duro sought additional time so her client could arrange accommodation and remove her belongings, but the request was not accepted.
An ambulance attended the building, and medical staff helped Maricarmen leave the apartment. She was later offered accommodation through Madrid’s social services but chose to stay with relatives.
Why the Madrid tenancy became a legal dispute
Maricarmen’s parents signed the tenancy agreement in 1956, when she was 17. Following her father’s death, the tenancy passed to her mother. A second succession transferred it to Maricarmen after her mother died in 2005.
The apartment remained in private family ownership for decades before being sold in 2018 to Urbagestión Desarrollo e Inversión S.L., a property company operating in Madrid and Valladolid.
The company argued that the second succession was not valid and that the original contract had ended. The dispute moved through the Spanish courts, eventually reaching the Supreme Court. In March, the Supreme Court ruled for the owners, overturning an earlier judgment that had supported Maricarmen’s position.
Rent demand was beyond her means
The company sought a monthly rent of €2,500, while Maricarmen’s pension was below that amount. Her disability and limited income meant she could not afford the proposed tenancy, according to the account of the dispute.
The owners are also seeking €10,000 in damages from the Madrid Tenants’ Union, which organised a public campaign in support of her case. That claim is separate from the eviction itself.
UN appeal did not stop the removal
In June, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights asked the Spanish government to halt the eviction and ensure that Maricarmen had access to adequate housing.
The request highlighted the international concern surrounding the case, but it did not override the Spanish court decision or prevent the eviction from proceeding. The incident illustrates the difference between a UN committee’s request and a binding domestic court order: responsibility for enforcement remained within Spain’s legal and public-administration systems.
The eviction had already been postponed twice. The first attempt, in October 2025, was stopped by the court the day before it was due to happen. A second attempt on 2 June was also delayed shortly before officers were expected to act.
Dispute over responsibility for housing support
The case has prompted criticism of public authorities and renewed debate over who should protect vulnerable tenants facing eviction.
Socialist spokesperson Patxi López defended the national government’s position in Spain’s Congress and pointed to Madrid City Council and the regional government, which hold responsibility for housing provision. He also said that attempts to purchase the apartment had been rejected by the owners.
Madrid City Council said municipal services had contacted Maricarmen before earlier eviction attempts and had offered housing options. The city’s housing department maintains that she declined those offers. Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida confirmed that officials had been in contact with her but did not provide further personal details, citing privacy concerns.
After the eviction, Samur Social again offered a place in a residential facility. Maricarmen declined that option and moved in with relatives instead.
Why the case matters beyond Madrid
Maricarmen’s eviction has become a prominent example of the pressure facing long-term tenants in Madrid, where rising rents and limited affordable housing have intensified disputes between property owners, residents and public authorities.
The case raises several broader questions:
- How should courts balance property rights with the housing needs of elderly or disabled tenants?
- What accommodation must public authorities offer before an eviction involving a vulnerable person proceeds?
- How should historic regulated tenancies be treated when a property changes ownership?
- What practical effect can international human-rights interventions have in domestic proceedings?
Those questions apply primarily to Spanish law and Madrid’s housing system. The eviction was not an EU decision, and it does not create a new European Union housing rule. However, housing affordability, tenant protection and social rights remain important issues across Europe.
What happens next
The immediate legal dispute over possession of the apartment has reached a decisive stage following the Supreme Court ruling and the completed eviction. The separate damages claim involving the Madrid Tenants’ Union may continue through the courts, although the available information does not establish its final outcome.
For Maricarmen, the removal ends her residence in the home where she lived for almost seven decades and where both of her parents died. For housing campaigners, the case is likely to remain a reference point in Spain’s debate over evictions, social protection and the shortage of affordable homes.
Conclusion
Maricarmen’s eviction shows how a final national court ruling can proceed even amid public protests and a UN appeal. The central issue now is not only the ownership dispute, but whether Spain’s housing and social-support systems can provide effective protection for vulnerable people facing the loss of a long-term home.