Gardaí must be trained to identify sex-for-rent offers, Oireachtas told

The calls were made in a submission to the Oireachtas justice committee which is considering the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. Picture: iStock

Gardaí must be trained in how to identify and record sex for rent offers while such offers should also be covered in the domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence strategy, according to a new coalition.

The call is being made in a submission to the Oireachtas justice committee after the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 was referred to it from the Dáil in recent weeks.

The submission has been drawn up by a group calling itself a “coalition of civil society organisations advocating for the prohibition of ‘sex for rent’ exploitation”.

The coalition comprises Akidwa (the Alliance for Immigrant and Refugee Women in Ireland), Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn, the Irish Council for International Students, the National Women’s Council, Rape Crisis Ireland, and Threshold.

New sex-for-rent offences 

Under the legislation, there will be two offences covering sex for rent — the offering of accommodation in exchange for sexual activity, and the advertising of accommodation in exchange for sexual activity.

A penalty of up to €5,000 will be introduced through the legislation.

According to the Department of Justice, “it is the offer or advertisement that is being criminalised — there is no requirement to prove that sexual activity occurred”.

New law 'long overdue'

In welcoming the bill, the coalition said the legislation is a “significant and long-overdue step” towards banning sex-for-rent practices.

The legislation will cover rental arrangements between landlords and tenants, as well as “rent-a-room” situations.

It will apply to online and text messages offering sex-for-rent arrangements, as well as advertisements on newspapers, radio and television, or displayed notices.

But the coalition warns that more action is needed to eliminate sex for rent offers. Among its demands are:

• Access to legal assistance and specialist supports for victims, including clear referral pathways, independent legal advice, and trauma-informed services; 
• The inclusion of sex-for-rent exploitation as a form of violence within Cuan’s domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) strategy; 
• Dedicated training for gardaí on identifying, recording, and responding to cases of sex-for-rent, with a strong focus on victim-centred approaches.
• The prioritising of protections for all renters, including those living in informal arrangements such as 'rent-a-room' accommodation, who are often excluded from existing tenancy safeguards.
• Effective enforcement of the legislation, including holding social media and online platforms to account for content published on their services through proactive moderation standards, clear reporting mechanisms, and swift removal of exploitative advertisements, under the remit of the Online Safety Commissioner.

“Effective implementation must be accompanied by practical measures to ensure that victims are protected, supported, and able to access and exercise their rights in practice,” says the coalition.

The legislation follows an investigation in the Irish Examiner which found a number of online accommodation advertisements for sex-for-rent arrangements in December 2021.