THE RENT-for-sex scandal has not been wiped out, with one in 20 female international students in Ireland coming across ads offering free or discounted accommodation in return for thinly-disguised sexual favours.
That’s according to a new housing report by the Council for International Students (ICOS), highlighting the state of housing being offered with one in seven students offered accommodation where they are expected to share a room and sleep in the same bed with a stranger.
ICOS conducted the anonymous online survey between September and October 2024, and took the views of 512 international students.
The survey also found overcrowding was an issue, with 75 per cent of respondents saying they shared a room with at least one other person, while 14 per cent said they were expected to share a bed with a stranger.
Some 38 per cent reported they did not have a lease agreement.
Two years ago, various media outlets, including the Irish Examiner and RTE Investigates, exposed the seedy underbelly of the rental market, in which landlords offered “alternative” ways to pay the rent.
Laura Harmon, ICOS executive director, has called for legislation to clamp down on predatory practices.
“Five percent of female respondents have said that they have seen or encountered an ad seeking sex in lieu of rent,” she said.
“There’s urgent need for legislation to clamp down on this, to clamp down on these predators, to make it a criminal offence to advertise this. And that’s something we’re calling for, along with a purpose-built student accommodation.”
