A woman who was offered 'sex for rent' arrangements three times while looking for accommodation in Ireland says the experience was disgusting and scary.
People offering free or cheap accommodation in return for sex or 'bed-sharing' is a problem that has been highlighted repeatedly in recent years.
Individual cases have been raised in the Dáil, amid concerns that the ongoing housing crisis has been making the practice more common.
Irish Examiner journalist Ann Murphy, meanwhile, has published a series of reports detailing how women have been propositioned by landlords.
'Chantal' was one of the women who shared her experiences with the Examiner, and she spoke to The Pat Kenny Show.
Chantal arrived in Ireland last October to start a new career.
While she thought she had secured accommodation on two occasions before arriving, those deals ultimately fell through as they were subletting arrangements.
As a result, Chantal found herself looking for accommodation here after she arrived - with the search becoming a 'full-time job' on top of her actual job.
Chantal turned to Facebook groups to get advice and tips, but that's when she started receiving "weird replies from weird people".
She said: "I received three messages about accommodation from three weird people, asking me for sex in lieu of rent.
“The first one just sent me his picture… just wearing boxers. He said ‘come see the room… me and the room are together’.
“The second one asked me to share the room together and he wanted to be my boyfriend.”
A third person asked for “fun” in exchange for accommodation.
Chantal says she was shocked at seeing these kind of offers, while friends who had lived in Ireland for many years also "couldn't believe something like this can happen".
She said: “I was really, really upset and disgusted and afraid. We are here alone and without family… when you’re facing something like this you feel hopeless.
“Just yesterday, I saw a girl post on Facebook a screenshot about someone texting her and asking her about ‘fetish relationship in lieu for rent’.
“I know, unfortunately, [some people] are still acting in this disgusting way.”
Chantal has finally found accommodation she is happy with, with a "fair landlady and a [rental] contract".
However, she said there are some landlords and even tenants out there looking to "take advantage" of people who've recently arrived in Ireland and are desperate for accommodation.
She said: “I still believe in justice… I think that justice [is needed] to protect foreigners that just come here to build our future.”
