Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was forced out of her Madrid apartment after 71 years of residence. Her lease fell under the renta antigua, a legacy law that still protects roughly 130,000 to 160,000 households. The eviction, carried out on 23 September by police despite a 50 % disability limit and a United Nations petition, marked the fourth attempt by the property owner, Urbagestión Desarrollo e Inversión, to remove her.
The renta antigua applies to contracts signed before 9 May 1985, when the Boyer decree abolished mandatory renewal for new leases but left existing ones untouched. The 1964 Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos allowed a lease to pass to a partner, parent or child, and a 1994 amendment added a second generation, but only if the beneficiary had at least a 65 % disability. Maricarmen’s 50 % disability meant the lease could not be permanently extended.
Estimates place the number of renta antigua units at about 150,000, about 5 % of the rental market, with Madrid and Barcelona holding up to 15 % of all such units. Rents under the old law range from 300 to 500 € per month, far below the five‑to‑ten‑fold higher rates of regular rentals.
The case has drawn political attention. A week before the eviction, Parliament rejected a bill aimed at curbing “vulture funds,” with opposition from PP, Vox, Junts and an abstention by PSOE. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is now considering an emergency decree to curb evictions, but it requires Junts’ support. Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez has blamed the Madrid regional government and Isabel Díaz Ayuso for facilitating speculation, while the PP cites the lack of national legislation.
International media, including BBC, Reuters, Deutsche Welle and CNN Español, have covered the story. UN rapporteur Koldo Casla condemned the prioritisation of investment returns over the right to housing, and Amnesty International has called for accountability. Sociologist Laura Barrio warns that repeated forced moves erode social ties and cause psychological distress.
In 2025 Spain recorded 25,540 evictions, an 11 % drop from the previous year, yet many “invisible” evictions are not reflected in the figures. Advocates urge structural reforms rather than piecemeal fixes, noting that the housing market now poses the greatest economic threat to ordinary households. The case underscores that even protected leases no longer guarantee safety against investment‑driven evictions, especially as rents in major cities consume a growing share of incomes for both young and older residents.
