Written by Amy Beecham

A growing number of women are being pressured into ‘sex for rent’ housing arrangements, and the rising cost of living will only force more vulnerable people into exploitative situations.

“If you are a young girl 16-plus who is stuck at home and wants to get away or maybe you are homeless seeking a safe route out, I have a room available in my home for a young girl,” read the advert Christopher Cox, a 53-year-old landlord from Surrey, posted to Craigslist in 2018.

In return for a place to stay, the tenant was expected to “cook, clean, do laundry and possibly more.”

In May 2022, Cox became the first person in England to be convicted over ’sex-for-rent’ offences – offering vulnerable young women, including one homeless woman, shelter in exchange for sexual gratification. He was later sentenced to one year in prison for controlling and inciting prostitution for gain.

While sex-for-rent schemes were first brought to the attention of parliament in 2018, their prevalence has grown dramatically in the past few years.

In 2019, the Crown Prosecution Service issued guidance classifying sex-for-rent deals as punishable by up to seven years in jail.

However, as the country faces continued economic hardship, job losses and financial insecurity following the pandemic and amid a cost of living crisis, a growing number of landlords are arranging for tenants to provide them with sexual favours in exchange for housing.

Research by housing charity Shelter found that over 59,000 women were targeted by current or prospective landlords between March 2020 and September 2021.

“At the time I didn’t have nearly enough money for the deposit to even rent a studio flat,” one victim told the Mail On Sunday following an undercover sting by the paper. “The arrangement is that we sleep together when the landlord comes to town. I’m only expected to have sex with him once and then I go back to my own room.”

Polly Neate, the chief executive of Shelter called the rise of sex for rent “an appalling symptom of our housing emergency”.

“Unaffordable private rents, skyrocketing living costs and the dire shortage of social homes are creating the perfect conditions for criminal landlords to prey on women,” she tells Stylist. “Predatory landlords are targeting women who desperately need a roof over their head and can’t afford anywhere to live.”

How are sex for rent schemes exploiting women?

According to Alan Collins, partner in the abuse team at Hugh James Solicitors, the crime is not the act itself, but the lack of informed consent.

“It would be very hard to point to a crime being committed if they have given informed consent and decided they were prepared to do it,” he tells Stylist. However, many vulnerable people are at risk of coercion, threats or bribery.

“Everyone knows what consent means superficially, but as a society, I don’t think we understand it fully,” he explains further.

Let’s look at the power dynamic – “You’ve got a property owner and a tenant who could potentially be mentally or financially vulnerable. There’s a powerful party and a non-powerful party, so the latter can very easily be coerced into something they don’t want to do.”

Collins suggest that some of the warning signs for sex for rent arrangements include suspiciously cheap rates and phrases like ‘sharing’, ‘coming to an agreement’ or ‘young female desired’.

What is being done to protect women against sex for rent schemes?

Alongside the landmark conviction, the government’s incoming Online Safety Bill is set to include new laws that will prosecute social media firms who allow sex for rent adverts.

“Tackling sexual exploitation and violence against women and girls is a government priority,” a spokesperson for the department of Digital Culture, Media and Sport told Stylist.

“Our pioneering bill will force online platforms to proactively identify and remove content which is illegal, including offences relating to inciting sex work and sexual exploitation. It will make sure companies have effective reporting mechanisms in place and provide users with proper support. If these firms fail, they’ll face huge fines and the potential of having their sites blocked in the UK.”

However, campaigners aren’t convinced this will tackle the problem at its root.

“The government must do more to protect women who are forced into these terrifying situations,” says Shelter.

“As the cost of living crisis worsens, it must ensure that more women can afford to access a safe and secure home by ending the freeze on housing benefit immediately. But the only way to stamp out sex for rent for good is to tackle the root cause of the housing emergency. That means building a new generation of good quality social homes with rents that people can actually afford.”

If you have been affected by this issue, please contact Shelter for free advice.

Images: Getty

Source: Read Full Article