In a statement issued this morning, the IPOA has claimed that it was “inaccurate” to portray the individuals who featured in the programme as landlords as they were “operating under the rent-a-room scheme”, which is not governed by legislation.
Prime Time broadcast an undercover investigation last night which showed how some are seeking sex from prospective female tenants in exchange for reduced rent or free accommodation.
RTÉ Investigates: Sex for Rent
RTÉ Investigates went undercover to meet men who were posting sex-for-rent adverts.
Footage from face-to-face meetings showed men asking for sex up to three times a week.
However, the IPOA has taken issue with the use of the term “landlord”.
“The IPOA condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the behaviour displayed by the individuals featured in this programme,” chairperson Mary Conway said.
“The IPOA also wishes to point out an important demarcation in terms of the persons involved in unscrupulous activities in this programme; they are operating under the rent-a-room scheme, which is not governed by any legislation, and therefore to portray them as landlords, who are regulated, is wholly inaccurate.”
Ms Conway said the “overwhelming majority of landlords operate their properties in a professional manner, deeming the behaviour in the programme to be utterly deplorable”.
She said the behaviour seen in the show is not systemic and “is in no way representative of the industry as a whole".
“We regret any attempt to conflate isolated incidents of impropriety, with the hallmark of professionalism, fairness and good practice that IPOA members, and the sector more broadly, maintains,” Ms Conway said.
“To that end the IPOA regrets that as the leading representative body for landlords in Ireland, we were not contacted to provide an important context to the 'RTE Investigates: Sex for Rent’ broadcast, which in no way represents the sector.
“Failure to do this has demonised landlords which is unfair and unjust.”
She urged prospective tenants who may encounter “these unscrupulous individuals” to report such behaviour to An Garda Síochána.
The Irish Independent has contacted RTÉ for comment on IPOA’s statement.
In a special report which aired last night, RTÉ said vulnerable women were being asked for sex in return for accommodation. Some of the adverts mentioned “special arrangements” and asked specifically for foreign women.
Dr Clíona Saidléar, executive director of the Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) told RTÉ Investigates: “What you have right now is something of a perfect storm in terms of the vulnerability that has opened up around housing and around finding somewhere to rent and accommodation.”
The men who feature in the programme all asked the undercover researcher to meet them in their cars, but she insisted on public places.
One texted before the meeting asking if she would perform a sex act on him in his car afterwards.
He also told her if she wanted they could book a hotel and see if she "wanted it". Afterwards he texts again to say: “I can put u up in a hotel maybe Wednesday night. Enjoy it yourself, I want to call then Thursday morning.”
After she told the man she wasn’t interested in the arrangement, he replied to say that was a pity as she was “surprisingly pretty”.
The young Brazilian woman pretended she had lost her job as an au pair and was sleeping on a friend’s couch in a crowded house in Dublin.
She responded to adverts from landlords who are based in Munster, Leinster and Dublin. The men are aged in their 30s, 40s and 50s.
When she texted showing an interest in the adverts, some replied asking for her to send a picture of herself.
An advert by a man in his mid-40s from Leinster read: "Free room for housekeeping and other services when required. No time wasters. No men. Females only thank you."
He refused to send a picture of the room until RTÉ’s researcher sent a picture of herself first.
In advance of the meeting, he replied by text to give further details of how the arrangement would work.
He said “services are sexual” and she would maybe have to do housekeeping two hours a week.
“Cooking isn’t required,” he said.
He asked if she had a high sex drive and if sex would be a “chore”.
A third advert said an ensuite room was available for free in Dublin “with special arrangement”.
The man told the researcher it would involve sex maybe twice a week.
He told her: “You don’t belong to me. You will be independent.”
The practices exposed in the programme have led to calls for explicit legislation banning sex-for-rent offers.
In 2022, a bill aimed at criminalising the behaviour stalled in the Oireachtas at committee stage.
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