UPDATE: Sex for rent housing scandal referred to Attorney General for advice

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien TD has asked the Attorney General for advice over the drafting of potential legislation regarding the sex-for-rent issue.

The Minister's actions follow after an investigation by the Irish Examiner newspaper last month highlighted certain properties on the rental market are being offered at reduced rent or rent-free in exchange for sex.

It is understood that the newspaper has reported that a spokesman for the Department of Housing said Minister O'Brien had written to the Attorney General, Paul Gallagher, seeking advice on whether the practice is covered by the Sexual Offences Act 2017. 

They added that the Fianna Fáil Minister is also in contact with Minister for Justice Helen McEntee regarding the issue.

The issue is due to appear before the Oireachtas committee on housing later this month.

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Controversy:

The issue of sex-for-rent arrangements was previously raised in 2019 by then Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger, who said that the issue was becoming a reality for many tenants.

Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin said about the issue: "As soon as the Dáil reconvenes, I will be raising this with the Minister for Housing and the Minister for Justice to ensure that both departments work quickly together to ensure this kind of thing is prosecutable.

"It is absolutely unacceptable... you could have people who have very acute housing needs and who are in very vulnerable positions being seriously exploited if this is allowed take root."

He added that any platforms that host these type of adverts should face fines with landlords who are offering such arrangements prosecuted.

The arrangements have been condemned by chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Noeline Blackwell, who said that the reality is that these arrangements equate to non-consensual sex, because the tenant has no power in such a situation.

She explained: "The tenant has no security of tenure, no tenancy agreement."

"They always have to be pleasing to the person giving them shelter: it is a massive power imbalance between the two."

Other politicians who have criticised the advertisements include Fianna Fáil Councillor Michael Collins and Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns.