The San Juan Court ordered the eviction of María Magdalena, a woman in her eighties, from the home she has lived in for 27 years on Carbonell Street in the Roosevelt neighborhood of Hato Rey. The owner filed a lawsuit citing the expiration of the lease and alleged nonpayment; it is alleged she owes $3,130.
Magdalena, who lives alone with her three dogs, says she always had the money but that the owner stopped collecting at the start of the year. She says the owner would collect without giving proof of payment and claims it was all done on purpose to force her out, saying the owner should have simply told her she needed the house.
Her husband died in the home’s second bedroom, which she said was the only thing that mattered to her about it. The court postponed the execution of the eviction until next week because the Department of the Family and other government agencies involved did not appear. Staff from the San Juan Municipality’s Housing Department visited her to offer placement options so she is not left on the street.
The community opposes the situation, saying that vacation rentals in the residential area have caused oversaturation and excessive noise, putting the sense of community at risk.