The story of Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman who was evicted from the home where she resided, has become one of the faces of the housing crisis that the Government intends to address with a new decree. In this regard, the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, has focused on the need to push forward new measures as soon as possible and has extended a hand to Junts to try to unblock the text in Congress.
In an interview on 'Cadena SER', Urtasun defended that there is room to study the proposals of the independence party, including tax reductions for owners affected by the extension of rents. The minister pointed out that the Executive accepted "from the beginning" to address these measures in view of the "social bleeding" that, he affirmed, the housing crisis is causing in Spain.
Maricarmen's case has been linked to this debate after the 87-year-old woman had to leave her home following the eviction procedure. For Urtasun, her situation exemplifies the need to incorporate new measures into the decree and find answers to similar situations. The minister insisted that he maintains his "extended hand" to Junts, whose votes are necessary for the Government's parliamentary majority, and confirmed that the Executive is studying the conditions raised by the party to facilitate an agreement.
"Are there conditions for a royal decree with an agreement to go through on Tuesday? My answer is that the political will on the part of the Government is there. I also believe it would be desirable and we are going to try until the end," he stated.
Among the issues that the Government intends to address is the situation of evictions, after the Lower House previously rejected an initiative on this matter. Urtasun also pointed out the regulation of seasonal rentals and Sumar's proposal to extend contracts and prevent tenants from having to face increases of up to 500 euros when renewing their rents and, consequently, being forced to leave their homes.
Urtasun insists on expropriating Maricarmen's home
Maricarmen's case also occupies a central place in the proposal defended by Urtasun. The minister demanded a "concrete solution" for the woman and proposed as one of the possible avenues the expropriation of the home from the "vulture fund" that currently holds its ownership.
To defend this possibility, Urtasun has resorted to article 33 of the Spanish Constitution, which contemplates "forced expropriations". His proposal comes after the eviction of the 87-year-old woman has placed access to housing and tenant protection at the center of the political debate.
"Yes or yes"
The eviction of Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman expelled this Wednesday from the home she had lived in for 71 years, has opened a new rift between the government partners, as 'ElConstitucional.es' reported this Wednesday. Sumar has increased pressure on the PSOE and demands that the Executive bring both the new housing decree and the expropriation of the elderly woman's apartment to the Council of Ministers next Tuesday.
The Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030, Pablo Bustinduy, has voiced this demand and has called for both measures to be approved as soon as possible. "The expropriation of Maricarmen's home and the Royal Decree-Law on Housing. On Tuesday in the Council of Ministers. Yes or yes," he demanded.
El próximo martes el Consejo de Ministros debe aprobar la expropiación de la vivienda de Maricarmen y un paquete para congelar los alquileres, como pedimos desde Sumar. Sí o sí.
— Yolanda Díaz (@yolandadiaz.bsky.social) 24 de septiembre de 2026 a las 8:40
The petition comes just hours after the fourth eviction attempt ended with Maricarmen's removal. The judicial commission and the property rejected the different alternatives proposed by her defense to stop the procedure. After leaving the property, the woman had to be transferred by ambulance to the Gregorio Marañón Hospital, as confirmed to ElConstitucional.es by her lawyer, Beatriz Duro.
Next Tuesday, expropriation of Maricarmen's house from the vulture fund and Royal Decree on Housing. After a year of negotiating, time is up. Yes or yes.
— Sira Rego (@sirarego.bsky.social) September 24, 2026 at 8:28 AM
Sumar demands a response from the PSOE after the eviction
Maricarmen's defense tried for more than an hour to find a solution with the judicial commission and the property's representation. Among the options proposed were postponing the eviction for humanitarian reasons, waiting for the resolution of the written request submitted to the court, accepting the economic aid offered by a private individual to cover the rent difference, or having more time to find an alternative housing solution.
None of these proposals went forward. As Duro explained, the property maintained its refusal during the negotiations, and the procedure continued until the agents entered the property and Maricarmen's subsequent departure in an ambulance. "Finally, no agreement has been possible because the property absolutely refuses everything," the lawyer stated.
The lawyer also reported that the Police had to access the property and that Maricarmen ended up being transferred to the hospital. "The police evidently used the force they deemed necessary to access the home, and she had to be taken away by an ambulance," she explained. For now, the defense does not know if the woman will remain hospitalized or be discharged.
The outcome has led Sumar to harden its position within the Executive. The party demands that the socialist wing ensure the housing decree is not postponed again and that it incorporates measures aimed at protecting vulnerable households from evictions.
Internal sources from Sumar consulted by ElConstitucional.es express their discomfort with the PSOE's management and, in particular, with the actions of the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, after months of warnings about Maricarmen's case. The police operation deployed during the eviction has also generated indignation within the minority partner of the Executive.
"I can only tell you that the rent extension decree must be approved as soon as possible," a representative of the Plurinational Sumar Parliamentary Group told this newspaper.
The party demands that the future text reinstate the moratorium for vulnerable households and establish specific protection to prevent situations like Maricarmen's. The goal is for the decree to reach the Council of Ministers on September 29 and for the elderly woman's home to be included in the response proposed by the Executive.
