Maricarmen Wins $570 Rent Deal, Returning Home After 200% Hike Sparked Spain Protests
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Sep 29
Maricarmen Wins $570 Rent Deal, Returning Home After 200% Hike Sparked Spain Protests
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Sep 29
Summary
An agreement will let 87-year-old Maricarmen return to her Madrid home after her landlord cut her monthly rent to about $570 for the next eight years.
The deal reverses a more than 200% increase to roughly $1,880 a month after an investment fund bought the building and sought to replace long-term tenants with tourist apartments.
Tens of thousands protested in Madrid, with encampments in Puerta del Sol and demonstrations spreading to dozens of other cities; the tenants' union called the outcome a historic win.
Pedro Sanchez's government has also proposed housing measures for a Friday vote, including extending expired tenant protections through 2030, though conservatives may resist and activists say the package falls short.
Spain's wider housing crunch remains severe: the central bank estimates a shortage of 755,000 homes, rising to 1 million by 2028.