The women’s organisation is today briefing a number of politicians at Leinster House about its recent research on the issue, which found examples of such arrangements across the State.

Orla O’Connor, NWC director, said: “Women in housing precarity are being forced to choose between sexual exploitation and homelessness.

“This dire situation is facing women across the country, rural and urban, yet despite repeated promises from government, there is still no legislation in place to tackle this abhorrent form of exploitation.

“The impact that this has on women cannot be overstated, making the very place they should feel safest – their home – a place of sexual exploitation.”

She added: “Government has been on notice about this issue for years now, and legislation to tackle it was due to be included in the Sexual Offences and Trafficking Bill. That bill has now come and gone, and still there is no solution for these women.

“Budget 2025 provided little reassurance that the housing crisis will be tackled in any meaningful way, and this is the underlying context in which sex-for-rent exploitation can happen. Even with legislation, until the housing and homelessness crisis is tackled, women will still be sexually exploited by unscrupulous landlords.”

Feargha Ní Bhroin, NWC’s violence against women officer, added: “Our report found that students and migrant women are particularly vulnerable to sex-for-rent exploitation, because of their specific difficulties in accessing suitable accommodation.

“Renters who rent a room from a live-in landlord are also especially vulnerable, and lack the legal protections of other tenancies.

“As students return to university this autumn, there is an urgent need to ensure all women are protected from this kind of exploitation.”