Justice committee to decide next month on sex-for-rent law
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The Oireachtas Justice Committee will make a decision next month on legislation introduced to tackle requests for sex-for-rent arrangements.
The Ban on Sex for Rent Bill 2022 was referred to the committee for pre-legislative scrutiny earlier this year by Social Democrats housing spokesman Cian O’Callaghan, who is also a member of the Oireachtas housing committee.
Mr O’Callaghan introduced the bill in the Dáil in March — on International Women’s Day — following an investigation into sex for rent in the housing market by the .
Submissions were received by the justice committee on the bill, which proposes a jail term of seven years and a fine of up to €50,000. The offences in the bill include sex-for-rent propositions, as well as the advertising of such propositions, and the hosting of such advertisements.
Now, a decision on the bill is expected from the justice committee in early October.
Mr O’Callaghan has slammed the Government for inaction in the area of sexual exploitation of renters.
In one of the latest examples, a Mexican student, Alma Yasbeth Pacheco Correa, has highlighted how she was asked for an intimate photo by a man whom she had paid a deposit of €480 for a room in shared house in Tallaght in Dublin.
She was also offered a bed-sharing arrangement by a different landlord in another property.
Gardaí have told her no offence was committed. She has also been unable to get her deposit back from the first landlord, even though he told her she could have it back if she was not happy with a change in date for her tenancy to start.
Mr O’Callaghan said: “There is no excuse for the continued inaction of the Government. The minister for housing and minister for justice promised earlier this year that they would bring forward legislative measures to specifically tackle this.
"Vulnerable renters are still waiting for any meaningful action. The Government has not advanced the bill that I brought forward to tackle this — and has also failed to introduce its own legislation.
"As the situation for renters gets worse and worse, there is a strong need for clear legislation to deter anyone seeking to exploit renters who are simply looking for somewhere safe and secure to live.”