Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin proposed a new piece of legislation in the Dáil on Wednesday to curtail the issue of “sex for rent”. The bill aims to leverage the Residential Tenancies Act by making it a criminal offence for landlords to suggest bartering sex for accommodation, and for such propositions to be advertised.
In his address to the Dáil, Ó Broin highlighted a prior bill presented by Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan that sought to criminalise landlords’ solicitation of sex for rent. Despite supporting the Social Democrats’ Bill, Ó Broin asserted that the law he advocated would serve as preventive action rather than post-incident prosecution.
The Sinn Féin housing spokesman mentioned the cryptic language used by landlords in adverts which hint at “unique agreements with the landlord”. He believes that prospective tenants who encounter these advertisements should be able to bring their cases to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) for a non-judicial solution.
Ó Broin recognised that this issue represents a small portion of the rent sector, however, he emphasised that the victims are often vulnerable individuals such as young or migrant women, desperate for housing. He also referenced the work of journalist Ann Murphy from the Irish Examiner, agreeing with the shared belief among the House members that the practice was completely repugnant.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee has shown commitment to evaluating Mr O’Callaghan’s Bill and the sex for rent issue as part of a broader gender-based violence inquiry. Although Ó Broin acknowledged the Minister’s considerable work for the review, he insisted that it was crucial to utilise the Residential Tenancies Act revisions to prohibit not just the practice, but also its advertisement.
For instance, the Residential Tenancies Act is utilised to restrict landlords from soliciting more than a month’s upfront rent in lease agreements,” he further explained. “Surely, if that’s possible, the same act can be deployed to mandate and ban demands or promotions for what is fundamentally enforced sexual favours in return for providing accommodation to those who are desperately in need.”
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