In Madrid on 28 September 2026, the property-owning company Urbagestión and representatives of 87-year-old Maricarmen agreed on a solution that would allow her to return as a tenant. The agreement concerns the flat at calle Alcalde Sáinz de Baranda, from which the woman was evicted on 23 September. The breakthrough was confirmed by the EFE news agency and public-service media. Maricarmen is reportedly to be able to return to her flat; details of the contractual arrangements were not initially made public.
The eviction sparked protests across the country within days and once again put housing at the centre of political debate. In Madrid, demonstrators gathered, among other places, at the Puerta del Sol. After the operation, Maricarmen was briefly treated at Gregorio Marañón hospital. Civil society groups and neighbourhood initiatives were particularly critical of the treatment of especially vulnerable tenants.
Madrid City Council mediated between the parties after the city deemed Urbagestión’s initial offer unworkable. The Ayuntamiento de Madrid then facilitated talks that led to the agreement now reached. People close to those involved said the aim was a swift return to her long-standing home on a sound legal footing.
Politically, the case has gathered momentum beyond Madrid. Left-wing groups such as Sumar are calling on the Spanish government to introduce a housing regulation decree that offers stronger protection to particularly vulnerable households and clarifies interventions affecting large property owners. The housing ministry said it wanted to present the matter to the Council of Ministers as soon as possible, and then to Parliament. Whether a decree is introduced, and in what form, depends on its specific contents and the formation of a majority in the Congress .
The agreement in Madrid eases the immediate conflict and is likely to dampen street protests in the short term. But it does not answer the structural questions exposed by the case: how to deal with rent arrears in strained markets, the role of large property companies, and preventive safeguards for older tenants or those with health problems. Observers note that an effective framework requires clear criteria for evictions, mandatory social assessments and transparent procedures for extending tenancies. Whether the announced initiative will close these gaps remains an open political and legal question for Congress.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).