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Police enforce Madrid tenant's eviction
An elderly Madrid tenant was removed after a court-backed eviction, despite an attempt by activists to stop it.
What happened
Police and a judicial commission carried out the eviction of Maricarmen from her rented Retiro flat in Madrid. She was taken by ambulance to hospital after activists gathered outside to oppose the action. A court decision ended a long dispute with the property's investment-company owner.
Numbers
- 87Maricarmen's age at eviction
- 70 yearsTime spent in the flat
- 50%Her reported disability level
- Fourth attemptAttempt to enforce the eviction
Questions
- Where did she stay afterward?
- After a medical review at Gregorio Marañón Hospital, she chose to stay with relatives rather than return to the flat.
- What legal issue drove the case?
- The dispute followed the flat's purchase by an investment company and a rent increase; courts ruled for the owner.
- Why did the lease have special rules?
- Old-rent contracts signed decades ago have special rules governing rent levels and whether relatives can inherit the tenancy.
- What did tenant activists argue?
- They said Maricarmen had never missed rent payments and that the higher charge made staying in her home unaffordable.
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The catch
Coverage gives conflicting accounts of the rent increase and leaves Maricarmen's longer-term housing unresolved.