RTÉ Investigates has gone undercover in the rental market to show how some Irish landlords seek sex in exchange for reduced or free accommodation.
Using a series of aliases, Bárbara Soares spent months investigating the reality of what happens when some women enquire about renting from Irish landlords who are willing to take advantage of the housing crisis.
She was researching the issue as a part of a wider team, including producer Lydia Murphy and reporter Aoife Hegarty, for a special report to be broadcast on Prime Time at 9.35pm on RTÉ One.
Here is some of what she found.
On a sunny afternoon in a fast-food restaurant, children and their parents are checking menus and enjoying their meals.
Little do these kids and their families know about the adult nature of the exchange unfolding at the table next to them.
I find myself face-to-face with a man who is offering my alias a sex for rent arrangement. I'm secretly recording the encounter, one of several that has occurred in the past few months.
It was a nerve-racking prospect, but I felt it was an important subject for us to highlight.
Often, the process began with a text exchange, and normally the landlords, typically men, wanted a photo first.
Landlord: how do u look? can u send and call me?
Undercover researcher: Ok I can send photo but we can speak first?
Landlord: I'd sooner see u first to be honest
I assumed several identities during the research. And so, Ana, Maria, and Luciana were born.
All these identities shared the same backstory - a young Brazilian woman who had been studying in Ireland for the last six or eight months and was struggling to find a place to live.
She had limited English, lacked a support network, and was experiencing financial difficulties.
I made sure to explain to everyone I encountered that after losing her au pair job, my alias was currently sleeping on a friend's couch in a crowded house.
One of the first ads I applied to simply read: 'Room available. Please contact for more details’.
It was posted by a man from the Munster region who said he was in his early 30s.
The ad showed a stock photography image of a generic bedroom and there was no price listed, which we had learned can be a tell-tale sign.
So, Ana sent him a message.
Ana: hi im Ana, im 27 yo from Florianopolis in Brasil. Im living here to improve my English. Can I know more about the room? Thnks
Man: It's a room in 2 bed house….Up to yourself if want to pay cash or some other way.
Ana: How many cash? Or what other way?
Man: Im open to offers with cash, but have to be realistic. I think you know the other ways lol.
Ana: …so it is not cooking or cleaning for you?
Man: Unless ur cleaning naked lol
As Ana, I arranged to meet this man.
Even with a whole team of producers and fellow journalists behind me, I couldn't help but feel slightly nervous. I can't begin to imagine how unsafe others would feel when genuinely considering such an exchange.
It made me think of the fear and desperation that might lead victims to consent to exploitative situations, perhaps even considering going to this man's car - as he requested - after the meeting, hoping to secure a place to live.
I remember being quite tense before meeting one of these men, but I knew we had a whole plan in action. My colleagues would start to call me by my alias name, and we would often repeat my back story on our way, as it would slightly change for each person, depending on where they were based.
In this case, we were headed to the south of the country. In the run-up to the meeting, the man was sending sexually explicit messages. It was hard to know how to respond at times.
He also sent us a photo of the actual bedroom he was offering for free in exchange for sex. It was poorly maintained with an old bed, wardrobe, and a grim worn-out carpet. Even he described it as "pretty basic".
When I arrived, I got a shock because he looked so young, even though his ad had said he was in his 30s.
Like other men I met, this man who wanted what he called "a bit of fun" struggled to make eye contact. His approach was clearly different during phone or text message conversations compared to our face-to-face encounter.
He even mentioned during the meeting that he would go home "back to reality" as if the deal he was trying to make wasn't part of reality itself. He would often smirk and chuckle, treating the arrangement like it was a game to him.
As soon as the meeting was over, he texted: "Thought u would least come for a kiss."
Soon after he followed up with "and u don’t reply either."
By that point, my alias, Ana, had made it clear countless times how vulnerable she was, that she didn’t have anywhere to live and needed time to think. That did not stop him.
Watch: Undercover footage captured by RTE Investigates during the Sex for Rent research
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Not all ads are so vague.
One read: 'En-suite room available for free in Dublin with special arrangement. Only women reply please - No time wasters'
I replied to it as Maria.
This man thought I was a 26-year-old Brazilian student studying English with few accommodation alternatives. He lived in Leinster. He said he was in his 50s, but when we met he looked like he could have been Maria’s grandfather.
Before our meeting in a café this man mentioned that other women had also expressed interest in his ad, putting pressure on Maria to make a quick decision.
"I want somebody that’s comfortable with it, the arrangement, the sex…Have a good time and be independent…There is other women interested, one aged 42, one aged 28…"
We met on a Saturday afternoon and started talking about the "special arrangement," as he called it.
Maria: And the special arrangement would be involving?
Man: Twice a week, maybe.
Maria: Just so I know, like, what do you want?
Man: Just straightforward, you know, nothing....
Maria: What would be straightforward?
Man: Sex. Oral sex. That's it. No, nothing further than that. You know, yeh?
Maria: So, the special arrangement, I don’t pay anything?
Man: No, because I own the house.
He then asked me to go to a nearby park with him to discuss the specifics of what he was expecting.
"If you want to talk we can go for a walk up to the park, just here, there's a park."
I rejected his request, saying that I felt more comfortable in the café.
Watch: Experts react to undercover footage captured by RTE Investigates
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After the meeting, I messaged this man saying that it was a difficult decision to make, and that the arrangement was not right.
He replied: "I'm very much thinking you have made the right decision for you, so I’m happy…in fact, you have sort of made it for me too…I’m not going to do it by looking for someone else…"
But a month later, his ad was still active. We again engaged with him, this time assuming a different identity. It became evident very quickly that he had not - in fact - changed his mind and was very eager to meet this woman as well.
When we again reneged on the arrangement, he sent a similar response.
"Hi, sort of glad you said that! Was having a think myself and maybe it’s a little unnatural to have such an arrangement…also, that you would have to give yourself for the sake of not been able to afford rent…ive a million friends, a good life, and shouldn’t have gone down this road."
Despite this, his ad remained active, until we reported it, and it was later removed.
Read more: Do we need a law to stop landlords seeking sex from renters?
Back in the fast-food restaurant, I was waiting for the other man I had arranged to meet, when he texted me.
I just gone out to the car... U come out when finished ur meal?
Just like all the others, he also attempted to get me to go to his car, before meeting in a public place - each either offered a lift or tried to arrange to meet directly in their cars.
Even before meeting with this landlord, he texted me: "do u have high sex drive? Or will it be a chore?"
It was disturbing to witness yet another landlord who failed to comprehend that the desperation and sense of obligation felt by vulnerable individuals may be the only reason they would consider engaging in any form of sexual activity.
He was not only asking for sex but also if it would be a "chore", as if my alias should enjoy it.
During the meeting, he barely looked at my face. When I directly asked if he was expecting sex, he confirmed it.
Luciana: And then I don't need to pay anything?
Man: No. I know. It’s actually starting to sound really, really bad when you say it out loud.
Luciana later messaged him declining the offer.
Shortly after, he edited his ad to be more explicit, changing it from "free room for housekeeping and other services when required" to "free room for sexual services when required".
Throughout these meetings, I observed a recurring pattern: a lack of genuine care or interest in the well-being of my aliases. The men would not ask many questions, listen, or care about my circumstances.
After the final meeting, I stepped outside, taking a deep breath. As I walked back to our car - knowing that my colleagues and security were there, watching everything from a distance, ready to intervene if needed - I felt a sense of relief.
Other people in desperate circumstances are not so fortunate. They face a terrifying, demeaning, and potentially dangerous reality.
RTÉ Investigates 'Sex for Rent' will broadcast on Prime Time, Thursday 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
If you have been affected by issues raised in this piece, assistance can be found at rte.ie/helplines
