Spanish woman evicted from home of 71 years dies before she could return under new agreement

María del Carmen “Maricarmen” Abascal, the 87-year-old Spanish woman who was evicted from her Madrid home of 71 years, has died. She had become the face of the country's housing crisis. When she was forcefully removed from her apartment where she had lived since the age of 17, nearly 10,000 people turned up to stop it from happening. People protested against Urbagestión, an investment fund, that acquired her apartment in 2018.

The Madrid Tenants’ Union confirmed to CNN and BBC in a statement that Abascal had died. It said that her situation marked "a turning point in the history of this country." Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote in an X post on October 7, "All my love to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones. A hug to everyone today who feels this loss as our own. Rest in peace."

Also Read: 10,000 gather in support of 87-year-old forcefully evicted from home of 71 years

Abascal's rent had risen exorbitantly

After Urbagestión acquired the building in 2018, the rent of her home increased from €500 ($572) to €2,650 ($3,014), before being lowered to €1,650 ($1,877). Abascal could not afford even the lowered rent since her monthly pension is €1,350 ($1,535). Her father had signed an old-style regulated tenancy agreement. It passed on to her mother after his death and then to her in 2005. She started renting it from Urbagestión in 2018.

She entered a legal battle to stay in the apartment, and the case reached the Supreme Court, which ruled against Abascal in March 2026. After three attempts to remove her, she was forcefully carried out on a stretcher on September 23. She was given only 30 minutes to pack up. Several protesters thronged the building and were forcibly removed.

Protesters shouted “Maricarmen, you’re not alone!” and “Murderers!” with nearly 10,000 people present on the street. Over the weekend after that, about 950,000 people participated in demonstrations across the country, according to estimates from Madrid’s Tenant Union.

On September 28, her attorney, Beatriz Duro, announced with Urbagestión that they had reached a new agreement under which she would pay a similar amount of rent to her original fee for eight years. However, she passed away before she could return to her home.