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An 87-year-old woman has been evicted from her home in Madrid where she has lived for seven decades, in a case which has put the spotlight on Spain’s soaring rents and lack of available housing.
The tenant, known by her first name, Maricarmen, was removed from her flat in the Retiro area of central Madrid on Wednesday, with people taking part in a protest at her property clashing with police.
Maricarman was left unable to pay her rent after investment firm Urbagestión, which bought the property in 2018, increased it from €500 (£428; $572) to €2,650 (£2,280; $3,020) – although later offering to reduce this to €1,650 (a figure she was still unable to pay on her pension of €1,350).
The BBC’s Guy Hedgecoe looks at why this eviction has drawn so much attention to Spain’s housing crisis.
