87-year-old evicted from her home in Spain after 70 years gets an offer to move back in

Abascal still needs to approve the plans herself before it’s official. Beatriz Duro, Abascal’s attorney, said her client had been admitted to the hospital after her eviction and was being treated for exhaustion, but was expected to sign the paperwork when she felt better.

Under the terms of the agreement, the 87-year old will pay rent of 500 euros ($572) per month. That’s far below the initial hike Urbagestión, the investment firm, charged, which raised the rent to 2,650 euros ($3,014). The company eventually lowered it to 1,650 euros ($1,877), which was still higher than Abascal’s monthly pension of 1,350 euros ($1,535).

It’s a family thing

Abascal’s father initially rented the apartment in 1956. After her parents died, she continued to live there, as the rent was capped. When the investment fund bought the property in 2018, though, rents soared, which ultimately led to her eviction.

Abascal was taken out of the building in Madrid’s Retiro neighborhood and driven away in an ambulance. That triggered nationwide protests through the city as well as a sit-in in the Puerta del Sol plaza, where some protestors have remained.

Duro said those protests and the widespread support for Abascal were what caused the landlord to agree to the reduced amount.

The fight for affordable housing is far from over in Spain, though, where many people are still being evicted as rent rates increase. The BBC reports the country has a shortage of 700,000 homes, according to data from the Bank of Spain. Rental rates in Madrid, meanwhile, went up 9.7% last year.

“I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs,” Abascal said in a video shared last Friday, before the situation was resolved, by the tenants’ union.