Spain's housing crisis sparks political uproar after 87-year-old forced out

Maricarmen, an 87-year-old pensioner, lost her home when Urbagestión SL acquired the building she had rented for decades and increased the rent beyond her means. The firm initially offered her the chance to purchase the flat, then raised the rent from 500 euros, prompting three failed legal challenges before she finally vacated. The episode has been portrayed as emblematic of a broader housing crisis, with comparisons made to a controversy involving Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso and a costly apartment purchase.

This weekend, the National Federation of Tenants and allied groups are staging actions in Madrid to pressure the government for stronger tenant safeguards. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, described the eviction as a social tragedy and called on supportive parties to approve a housing protection bill, which has been stalled by the People's Party, Vox and Junts. The issue is compounded by soaring rents—over 100% higher in ten years—and roughly 4,000 evictions recorded since the start of the year, a trend linked to the growth of short-term rentals such as Airbnb.