The 87-Year-Old Spanish Woman Who Died After Being Evicted From Her Home
Maricarmen Abascal had lived in the same Madrid home for more than seven decades. After a highly publicised eviction in September, the 87-year-old Spanish woman has now died in hospital – a case that has sparked renewed debate across Spain about housing, ageing and evictions.
The death of Maricarmen Abascal has touched a nerve across Spain.
The 87-year-old woman died on Wednesday, 7 October, at Madrid's Gregorio Marañón Hospital, just two weeks after she was evicted from the home where she had lived for around 71 years.
Who was Maricarmen Abascal?
Maricarmen moved into the apartment in Madrid's Retiro district with her parents in 1956, when she was just 17 years old. She subsequently remained in the property for more than seven decades.
Her tenancy was based on an old rent-controlled contract that had originally been signed by her father and later transferred to Maricarmen. The property eventually came under the ownership of Urbagestión, which pursued the case through the courts.
According to reports, the dispute over the tenancy continued for several years, with previous attempts to evict Maricarmen being unsuccessful.
By September 2026, she was 87 years old and had a recognised 50% disability.
The eviction that captured Spain's attention
On 23 September, a fourth attempt was made to remove Maricarmen from her home.
The case had attracted considerable public attention, with supporters gathering outside the apartment in Madrid in the hope of preventing the eviction.
Eventually, the eviction was carried out.
Maricarmen, who was experiencing mobility problems, was taken from the property on a stretcher and transferred to Gregorio Marañón Hospital.
She did not return to the home in which she had spent most of her life.
The images of an elderly woman being carried from her long-term home caused widespread reaction across Spain and turned Maricarmen into a symbol of the country's wider housing debate.
She was eventually offered a way back home
One of the most tragic aspects of the story is that a possible solution emerged after the eviction.
Following negotiations involving Maricarmen's legal representatives and the property owner, an agreement was eventually reached that would have allowed her to return to her former home under a new long-term rental arrangement.
Reports said the agreement provided for a new eight-year tenancy, with the rent limited in relation to her income.
But by then, Maricarmen was still in hospital.
The agreement came too late for her to return home.
She died on 7 October at the age of 87.
From one woman's eviction to a national debate
Her lawyer has stated that Maricarmen's health deteriorated considerably during the long-running eviction process.
Maricarmen's case has become much bigger than one apartment in Madrid.
Her eviction helped trigger demonstrations, gatherings and housing protests in several Spanish cities.
Housing campaigners have used Maricarmen's name in calls for greater protection for vulnerable tenants.
Her death has now prompted further demonstrations and tributes.
People have gathered with candles, flowers and photographs to remember the woman whose final weeks brought national attention to the difficulties faced by some elderly tenants in Spain.
Her story has also reignited discussion about Spain's housing crisis, rising rents, affordable housing, tenant protection and the difficulties faced by older people living on fixed incomes.
A story that has resonated far beyond Madrid
For many people living in Spain – including foreign residents who have made the country their home – Maricarmen's story raises uncomfortable questions about what happens when an elderly person's long-term home is no longer considered secure.
It also highlights the complicated balance between property ownership, existing tenancy agreements and the protection of vulnerable people.
These issues are not unique to Madrid. Housing costs and availability have become major concerns in many parts of Spain, including popular tourist destinations where demand for accommodation has increased significantly.
Here in the Canary Islands, the availability and affordability of housing is also an increasingly discussed issue for both residents and people looking to move to the islands.
Maricarmen's final chapter
Despite spending her final days in hospital, Maricarmen continued to speak publicly about the housing campaign supporting her.
Her words became part of the wider movement that had grown around her case.
Her supporters have promised to continue campaigning in her memory.
For many Spaniards, Maricarmen Abascal will now be remembered not simply as an elderly woman who lost her home, but as the face of a much wider conversation about housing in Spain and the security people should have in later life.
She never got the chance to return to the home where she had lived for more than seven decades.
And that is perhaps the most poignant part of this extraordinary story.
The wider question
Maricarmen's death is likely to keep the issue of evictions in Spain and the availability of affordable housing in the headlines.
Whatever people's views on the rights of landlords and tenants, her story has highlighted how complicated and deeply personal the housing crisis can become when legal disputes involve elderly and vulnerable people.
For now, Spain is mourning an 87-year-old woman whose private battle over her home became a national story.
