TD Eoin Ó Broin, Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on housing, has today, August 2, published legislation that, if passed, would make what has become known as ‘sex-for-rent’, an offence under the law.

The bill, which will be introduced to the Dáil when it resumes in September, seeks to amend the Residential Tenancies Act making it an offence for landlords to seek sex in lieu of housing or to advertise such arrangements.

This comes after recent investigations by both the Irish Examiner and RTÉ into sex-for-rent-practices in Ireland, which found that properties all over the country were being offered at reduced or no rent in return for sexual favours. This is something that especially affects vulnerable tenants seeking housing in the midst of the Irish housing crisis.

Ó Broin said: “Seeking sex for rent is a disgusting predatory form of behaviour. It should be outlawed.

“Renters need the full protection of the law and seeking or advertising sex for rent must be an offence in legislation carrying significant punishment.”

The new bill comes 18 months after the similar ‘Ban on Sex for Rent Bill 2022’ was brought before the Dáil when the problem first received public attention in 2022. Despite all-party support, the bill was halted at committee level due to several difficulties, including how it would interact with existing sexual offences and domestic violence legislation.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee revealed that while the issue is being examined, there is no set timeframe for enacting new laws regarding the matter in question. 

Sinn Féin publishes Bill to make seeking sex for rent an offence – @EOBroin

“It is unacceptable that, almost two years since this issue was brought to public attention, and a year after legislation passed in the Dáil, that Government has failed to act.”https://t.co/lifGZoCSCk pic.twitter.com/BtCZiL9hTs

— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) August 2, 2023

Ó Broin remarked that: “It is unacceptable that vulnerable tenants would be exposed to this kind of abhorrent behaviour. It is also unacceptable that almost two years since the issue was first brought to public attention and a full year after legislation passed in the Dáil, that Government has failed to act.”

Nonetheless, he states that he is hopeful that the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien is willing to work together on a solution for the problem, and that a cross-party census can be reached, seeing the urgency that is needed to protect tenants.