Landlord offers return terms to evicted 87-year-old

The lawyer for María del Carmen Abascal said Tuesday that the landlord of the 87-year-old’s Madrid apartment had offered terms allowing her to return, with rent capped at about 30% of her pension for eight years. Abascal, known as Maricarmen, was expected to return after leaving hospital, but the reports did not confirm that the agreement had been signed or that she had gone home. The offer followed Abascal’s eviction last week, which prompted protests over housing costs and tenant protections. Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, said the proposed monthly rent would be about 500 to 570 euros, similar to what Abascal paid before the dispute. The landlord was not quoted directly, and the completion of the agreement remained unconfirmed. The protests included an encampment in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and demonstrations elsewhere in Spain. Organizers and participants called for stronger protections for tenants, including limits on rent increases and safeguards against evictions that leave people without alternative housing. Abascal had lived in the apartment for decades before being removed under an eviction order secured by the property’s owner.