International student planning to study in Munster university offered sex-for-rent arrangement

Technological University Shannon students' union said close to 10 such incidents had come on its radar in the current academic year

TUI students' union is now warning students at inductions about the risk of being targeted with sex-for-rent offers.

A Brazilian woman planning to study in Ireland in the next academic year has been offered a sex-for-rent arrangement when responding to what appeared to be a typical rental advertisement.

The woman is planning to study at Technological University Shannon in the autumn and had replied to an advertisement on the students union’s accommodation website when the offer was made to her within the past three weeks.

Vice-president (for Munster) of the TUS students union Gearóid Folan said there had been an increase in this academic year of such experiences by international students seeking accommodation to attend the TUS campuses in the Limerick, Tipperary, and Clare areas.

He said such offers were being made in private correspondence when the students make contact with people offering what appear to be standard student rental accommodation advertisements.

He was speaking ahead of a debate in the Seanad on Wednesday on Labour’s Prohibition of Advertising or Importuning Sex for Rent Bill 2025. The legislation, introduced by Senator Laura Harmon, aims to criminalise the soliciting of sexual services in exchange for a reduced rent or in lieu of rent. It introduces a fine of up to €50,000 for landlords or individuals convicted of advertising rental spaces under such terms.

In her previous role as executive director of the Irish Council for International Students, Ms Harmon oversaw the publication of a report which found 5% of female respondents said they had either received an offer to rent a room in Ireland in exchange for sex, or had seen a room that was being advertised in exchange for sex.

Mr Folan said: “This has always been there but it has become much more prominent and we are specifically seeing international students being targeted.

“We have so many students coming here who are not aware of the accommodation crisis and they are really taking advantage of them. We had one about three weeks ago to a student from Brazil booking for accommodation for next year.” 

He said the union was now warning students at inductions about the risk of being targeted with sex-for-rent offers.

It also had to remove advertisements from its website after offers were made to students, he said. He cited one example were a would-be landlord made flirtatious overtures to a prospective tenant before offering a sex-for-rent arrangement.

Mr Folan said there was a lack of protection for students in digs accommodation adding: “I heard of one or two cases last year but I have heard of multiple cases this year, all targeting international students who are all female.” 

He said close to 10 such incidents had come on the radar of the students' union in the current academic year.

On Friday, the minister for justice Jim O’Callaghan said he would not oppose Labour’s bill. It is understood he and Ms Harmon will meet on Tuesday to discuss any concerns he has about the bill.

A spokesman for his department said: “Any behaviour from accommodation providers seeking to use their position to prey on vulnerable people is completely unacceptable. The Government is seeking to address this exploitative behaviour by making the offering or advertising of accommodation for sex in lieu of rent a specific criminal offence.” 

He said progressing legal provisions which are currently being discussed by department officials with the office of the Attorney General “will be a consideration for Government in due course”.

Currently, a number of such offers are published online, including one offering “rent negotiation depending what can be offered” in Dublin.