Spanish Pensioner to Return Home After Housing Protest Deal

Madrid, Spain - An 87-year-old Madrid pensioner, Maricarmen Abascal, will be able to return home after reaching a deal with the property's owners, her lawyer said on Monday.

The agreement comes as demonstrations across the country pile pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government to address soaring rents, a shortage of affordable homes, and weak tenant protections.

Protests Continue Across Spain

Protesters have set up roughly 100 tents in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square since Saturday night, while tens of thousands of people have protested across the country.

Abascal, who uses a wheelchair, was removed on a stretcher from the Madrid home where she had lived for 70 years and became a symbol of the protest against runaway housing prices and a lack of tenant protections.

She had always paid her rent, but the real estate firm that owned her apartment hiked the monthly rent by 275 percent to 2,650 euros ($3,000), supporters say.

Abascal will be able to return to her apartment in Madrid's upmarket Retiro neighbourhood after leaving hospital, where she is being treated for exhaustion, added Duro, who said the aim was to 'accelerate the procedures'.

Government Seeks Agreement on Housing Package

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government is seeking agreement on a new housing package to present to cabinet on Tuesday to placate the popular anger.

Over the past decade, the average rental price per square metre in Spain has almost doubled, reaching 15.10 euros per square metre in August, according to real estate portal Idealista.

For buyers, it now stands at 2,355 euros, an increase of more than 50 percent over the same period, according to official figures.

Analysts say Spain has little public housing, while rents have been driven up by increased demand, including from tourism and population growth linked to immigration.