Vile adverts offer women free accommodation in exchange for sex
Sleazy landlords are offering free rent in exchange for sexual favours on a popular classifieds website, and homeless support services are blaming a lack of affordable housing for the emerging trend. Read the creepy adverts Leader has uncovered.
South East
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Vulnerable homeless women are being preyed upon online by sleazy landlords offering free rent in exchange for regular sex.
And homeless support services are blaming the lack of affordable housing for the disturbing trend.
The Cranbourne Leader found dozens of ads on popular classifieds website Locanto openly suggesting women could pay for rent with their bodies.
To lure women, a 22-year-old man from Cranbourne posted raunchy photos of himself on the website saying: “Free rent and bills included for sex for females only.”
Another lewd ad said: “Free rent in your own room with all bills included in exchange for regular sex. Females only need apply”.
The Leader went undercover, posting an advert on the website as a homeless woman in Melbourne seeking accommodation.
The ad attracted almost 150 responses from men in Cranbourne, Dandenong and other Melbourne suburbs.
One man said: “I have a spare room, you pay me sexual in return?”
Another man said: “I can’t give you shelter but can give you some money for a HJ.”
Cranbourne Information and Support Service executive officer Leanne Petrides said she was aware of homeless and vulnerable women being preyed upon online.
“It generally starts off with men offering reduced rent or household chores but it then leads to women being preyed upon in these situations,” Ms Petrides said.
She said a lack of safe and secure affordable housing was escalating the issue.
“The government needs to focus on this issue; we don’t hear much about it … this is one the unseen fallouts from family violence and violence to women in general.”
Greater Dandenong Salvation Army captain Claire Emerton said a lack of safe housing was the real problem that lead to some women finding themselves in dangerous situations.
“There hasn’t been an investment in social housing by the government in several years,” Ms Emerton said.
“The investment has been declining and the issue has been growing.”
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Victoria Police spokeswoman Cathy Le said it was an offence for the men to advertise for sex work services unless they were a small business operator exempted from the Sex Work Act (1994).
“(Police are) aware of and monitors a number of websites where sex work is advertised,” she said.
“Our number one priority is always the safety of the community. Victoria Police monitors these websites and can take action against illegal operators by charging the people offering the services.”
Victoria Police spokesman Alex Day said it was also an offence to “provide sexual services to another person in exchange for payment or reward” unless authorised under the Act.