Maricarmen Abascal died Wednesday, October 7, two weeks after authorities evicted her from the Madrid apartment she called home for decades. The Madrid Tenants’ Union announced her death, saying an agreement allowing her return had come too late. She was 87.
Her eviction on September 23, 2026, galvanized housing protests across Spain. However, she remained in hospital while campaigners secured a deal intended to bring her back. The union said she died without returning home.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez offered condolences to her family and loved ones. In a message on X, he expressed solidarity with everyone who felt her loss personally.
An eviction after seven decades at home
Abascal lived on Alcalde Sáinz de Baranda Street, in Madrid’s Retiro district, for approximately 70 years. The dispute began after the property changed hands and the new owner challenged her decades-old rent-controlled tenancy, arguing that the contract had expired after being transferred twice within her family. Spain’s Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the owner, clearing the way for her eviction.
On September 23, judicial officials carried out the eviction despite supporters’ efforts to stop it. Police removed activists who had gathered inside the building and blocked its entrance.
Emergency workers then carried her outside on a stretcher and took her to Gregorio Marañón Hospital. Supporters shouted encouragement from behind a police cordon. Additionally, the previous evening, Abascal had addressed people gathering outside her home and thanked campaigners for their support.
“I have lived here for 71 years. I don’t want to leave,” she said, according to EFE. Political figures and performers also joined the demonstrations supporting her, including Spanish singer and actress Ana Belén.
🇪🇸 87-year-old Spanish woman dies two weeks after being evicted from the home where she had lived for more than 70 years
Maricarmen Abascal had lived in the same apartment in Madrid’s Retiro district since the 1950s. On September 23, after several attempts to stop the eviction,… https://t.co/06PLQvH2If pic.twitter.com/Rhw7eqXqwK
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 7, 2026
A return agreement came too late
Five days after the eviction, her representatives reached an agreement with property owner Urbagestión. Madrid’s municipal housing company mediated the September 28 negotiations, which lasted several hours. The proposed arrangement offered an eight-year tenancy and capped rent at 30 percent of her net income.
At that stage, Abascal still needed to review the terms herself. Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, said the arrangement would allow her return once doctors discharged her. Meanwhile, her belongings remained inside the apartment because she had lacked time to collect them before leaving.
Duro also argued that authorities should arrange housing alternatives before evictions, rather than negotiate solutions afterward. Municipal officials, meanwhile, praised the agreement and the landlord’s willingness to offer rent below market levels.
Following Abascal’s death, the tenants’ union described the solution as arriving “too late.” It also characterized her ordeal as avoidable. However, the reports announcing her death did not identify a medical cause or establish that the eviction caused it.
Housing protests reach national politics
Beyond her individual case, Abascal’s eviction helped mobilize tens of thousands of demonstrators. The protests intensified pressure on Sánchez’s government over housing protections and contributed to a political crisis. After Parliament rejected housing measures, Sánchez called an early election.
On October 5, he announced that Spain would vote on November 29, 2026. In his address, he acknowledged unresolved housing problems and argued that his government needed broader parliamentary support.
Nevertheless, the government continued pursuing legislation. On October 6, ministers approved two replacement housing decrees containing 21 measures. The package addresses affordable rentals, housing supply, tenant stability, and protections for vulnerable residents. Furthermore, Parliamentary approval remains necessary, and Sánchez acknowledged insufficient support for one decree covering automatic tenancy renewals.
Meanwhile, tenants’ organizations continued backing a November 11 general strike, alongside labor unions CCOO and UGT. Madrid Tenants’ Union spokesperson Alicia del Río asked people to respect Abascal’s loved ones as they mourned. She also pledged to continue the campaign: “Her legacy makes us fight harder.”
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