Madrid rent offer follows eviction protests as Spain’s housing safeguards face vote
The property firm has offered to cap an 87-year-old tenant’s rent at about $570 a month for eight years. The proposal remains subject to signing.
An offer from the firm managing Maria del Carmen Abascal’s Madrid home could allow the 87-year-old to return after her eviction last week. Her lawyer said the firm would restore her rent to its pre-dispute rate, capped at about $570 a month for eight years. The arrangement has not been reported as signed.
Abascal, known as Maricarmen, became a focus of Spain’s housing debate after an international investment fund bought her building and her rent rose by more than 200 per cent to about $1,880 a month, according to Al Jazeera.
Her eviction prompted protests in Madrid and other Spanish cities. Al Jazeera reported that demonstrators gathered in their tens of thousands, with protests spreading to dozens of cities.
The government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has proposed extending tenant safeguards through 2030. Parliament is scheduled to vote on the package on Friday; the proposal has not yet become law.
The dispute comes amid a broader shortage of housing. Spain’s central bank estimates the country is about 755,000 homes short of demand, a gap that could reach one million by 2028.
