Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

The housing crisis has become so crazy, the laws on rent rises are so toothless and so much power has been left in the hands of landlords that we now have a situation where sex for rent is becoming a reality for many tenants. We do not have data in this country but the Shelter organisation in England reports that 250,000 women have been propositioned by landlords in this way. A young woman who was renting a property that was a bedsit in all but name in the Rathmines area was a victim of this. I would like the Taoiseach to listen to some of the messages she was sent. When she said she had to leave because the rent was too expensive, the landlord asked if she was coming to live with him in his house. She asked if he was being serious and he replied "Yes" and that he thought she was beautiful. He suggested that she could stay there for two months at half the money and that they could go for dinner and see what happens. When she rejected this, he said he would make her a better offer and that she could stay for free until Christmas if they could agree something. I have the text messages here and I think it is high time that we collated data of this sort. The Government has allowed a situation to develop where a young woman in a vulnerable position - thankfully she was able to move on - could be put under undue stress and pressure-----

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