A public call for evidence has been launched to establish the scale of ‘sex for rent’ in the UK and ask if existing laws protect victims
A new law is being considered to crack down on predatory landlords exploiting vulnerable people for sex in return for free or discounted rent, the Home Secretary has announced.
The government is seeking views of victims, police and charities as part of a call for evidence launching today (21 April) to better understand the scale and nature of the abhorrent ‘sex for rent’ exchange in the UK.
‘Sex for rent’ is an arrangement where landlords exchange accommodation for free or at a discount in return for sexual relations with their tenants. This is already illegal under the Sexual Offences Act, and landlords can already be prosecuted for attempting to engage in sex for rent.
The call for evidence will look at whether these laws go far enough, or if new measures are needed to tackle the issue and better protect vulnerable people from harm.
Home Secretary, Suella Braverman said:
According to research by polling company YouGov, carried out on behalf of the housing charity Shelter, nearly 1 in 50 women in England have been propositioned for ‘sex for rent’ in the last five years.
The call for evidence, which will last for 10 weeks, seeks to gain the views of those who have been directly engaged in a ‘sex for rent’ arrangement, whether they were deceived, coerced, or compelled into it.
Among the charities expected to provide their views is National Ugly Mugs (NUM), an organisation which works to end all violence towards sex workers.
They work with numerous victims of ‘sex for rent’ abuse such as Alina*.
Case Study Alina* was struggling financially during the pandemic and was approached online by her landlord. He suggested a rental arrangement where she would provide sex and intimate photos in exchange for a reduction in her rent and utility bills.
At the time Alina wasn’t making enough money to find an alternative place to live, so she agreed. Her exploitative landlord often arrives at the property drunk and unannounced, expecting to have sex with her. He often refuses to leave and she is under constant threat of eviction and homelessness if she does not comply with his requests whenever he wants.
*This modified case study is based on a sex worker’s lived experiences as reported to the NUM research team. Personal details have been changed.
Safeguarding Minister, Sarah Dines said:
Dr Raven Bowen, CEO of NUM said:
Deputy Chief Constable Dan Vajzovic, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Prostitution and Sex Working, said:
Dan Wilson Craw, Deputy Director of Generation Rent said:
Tackling sexual exploitation and violence against women and girls is a government priority.
In July 2021 we published our new cross-government Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy to help ensure that women and girls are safe everywhere - at home, online, at work and on the streets.
The world-leading Online Safety Bill means that social media platforms will have to proactively tackle illegal content such as use of their sites to coerce and control women for sex. If they fail in these duties, they will be made to pay huge fines up to billions of pounds.
The Home Office is also working closely with Women’s Aid to provide £300,000 for one-off payments of £250 to victims of domestic abuse, rising to £500 where a victim is pregnant or has children.
The funding has been granted to support victims to leave abusive relationships, and will help victims to pay for essentials such as groceries, nappies, sanitary products and rent on their previous property whilst they are in a refuge, or it could be put towards a deposit on new accommodation when they leave a refuge.