Maricarmen and her lawyer trust that the Sánchez Government will approve the housing decree and criticize: "The market is intervened in favor of rent-seeking"

The lawyer for Maricarmen conveys her will and that of her client for the Government to approve a housing decree that serves to reinforce access to housing and guarantee the right in the face of the difficulties faced by people in vulnerable situations. Beatriz Duro places the case of her client, an 87-year-old woman evicted last Wednesday from the home where she resided for decades, as one of the examples of the problems that persist in the real estate market.

"Well, I hope it is approved, I hope that legislation is passed in favor of guaranteeing the right to housing, that this right is somewhat protected and that it is not said that the housing market cannot be intervened, but the truth is that this is an absurdity because the housing market, like any other, is intervened," the lawyer maintains.

Duro demands that future legislative measures act on a market that, in her opinion, is already conditioned by certain economic dynamics. "What happens is that it is intervened in favor of speculation and rentism, it is not intervened in favor of people," she stated.

The lawyer also demands that the proposals put forward by the Tenants' Union be taken into account to address the problem of access to housing. "So, what I hope is that legislation begins and the proposals launched by the tenants' union are fulfilled, which are truly necessary, super necessary, for the housing situation to begin to change a little in this country and access to housing truly begins to be a right."

Maricarmen's case, awaiting a housing solution

In parallel to the debate on the decree, Maricarmen's situation remains unresolved. The woman remains admitted to the Gregorio Marañón Hospital since the eviction and still does not have a housing alternative that she accepts as a solution.

At 4:00 p.m. this Monday, her representatives will hold a meeting with Urbagestión and with professionals from the Municipal Housing and Land Company (EMVS) to try to find a way for the woman to return to the property where she lived for decades. The meeting comes after the Madrid City Council rejected as "unviable" the proposal to incorporate the home into the Reviva program.

Maricarmen's defense assures that neither she nor her lawyer have received a direct explanation from the City Council regarding the reasons for the rejection. "Well, the City Council has not given us any explanation, we haven't even found out if that proposal was or was not viable in their opinion, personally, simply through the same statement that everyone has had access to."

According to Duro, the reasons that have emerged are related to the conditions of the municipal program. "What we have read is that they say it is not viable for two reasons. The first is because the homes incorporated into this program cannot have a mortgage, and it seems this one does. And, secondly, because, obviously, any incorporation to be managed through any municipal or public program must then be granted the use of this home by the order on the list. So we understand that this is also where they say it could not be awarded by 'finger-pointing,' so to speak, to MariCarmen."

What I hope is that since Friday, when they received news of this until today, the four of us who have the meeting, have been working on seeing if it is not possible and not viable through this specific City Council program, through what way they can make this viable," the lawyer maintains. "What cannot be is that the property wants MariCarmen to return to her home, but it is not possible now due to bureaucratic issues."

The lawyer suggests that there are different mechanisms to reach an agreement, both through administrations and through a private contract. "If this is the company's will and not just a note that serves as image washing, if this is their real will, which I hope it is, obviously this has to be able to materialize, either through a public administration, which I don't know why they want to do it through this route, but then we will have to find a way, well, the administrations will have to find a way to do it, and if not, then through a private contract."

Beatriz Duro also reminds that Maricarmen has continued to pay rent and that other people have offered to cover the cost of the housing. "Obviously, a contract can be made for Maricarmen and she can sign it, because she has never stopped paying rent, so there can be no suspicion that she would not pay, because there are no reasons for it."

"And if not, well, through activities that would not be ideal, of course, but there are also a lot of people, like the anonymous writer who also communicated that she wanted to face the payment of the rent, like James Rhodes, who has also offered himself actively and passively, I know that he has offered to the company itself, to Orbagestión, which would be the one in the contract, that is, well, that mechanisms and ways to be able to do it, I think there are plenty".

The lawyer believes that it is now up to the property to demonstrate whether it really intends for Maricarmen to return to the property. "And that now Urbagestión will have to demonstrate if it wants to do it or not, it would seem very macabre to me if now they didn't want to or if they weren't going to carry this out, because in the end, it would not cease to be another blow for Maricarmen, who evidently, since she hears about this news, well, obviously hope is rekindled, right?"

Without an alternative that Maricarmen accepts

While a solution is being sought, the woman continues without a housing alternative that she considers adequate. "Correct, she is still without a housing alternative and no public administration has offered her any alternative."

The Community of Madrid has raised the possibility of transferring her to a residence, an option that her defense does not consider appropriate for her circumstances. "It is also true that any alternative, evidently, will be worse, that is, it has not arrived and should have arrived, and it is a drama that it still has not arrived, but it is also true that any alternative is complicated for her, for a person her age, with her vulnerability, with her state of health, who has been in her house for 70 years, that is, any change is also, well, really complicated."

Maricarmen remains admitted to the Gregorio Marañón Hospital. Her lawyer relates her admission to the impact that the eviction has had on her condition. "Well, bad, I mean, I mean that in the end, well, she has been admitted for five days, that is, it's not that she was transferred to the emergency room, this also happens in numerous evictions, but that she has not been transferred to the emergency room because she is in a state of anxiety caused by the situation of violence experienced in any eviction, she has been admitted for five days."