Tasmanian man lists Claremont property on Gumtree; offering female tenants free rent for sex

A Tasmanian man advertising his “pet, kid and escort friendly” share house on Gumtree has offered prospective female tenants “free rent in exchange for sex”. SEE THE AD >

A Tasmanian man advertising his “pet, kid and escort friendly” share house on Gumtree has offered prospective female tenants “free rent in exchange for sex”.

The Claremont property listing, which has since been removed by Gumtree, had a long list of requirements from the landlord.

“Room for rent females only. $245 per week incl. bills … or free rent in exchange for sex,” the ad reads.

“Please no time wasters. Serious enquiries only.

“You’ll have your own room, locked door, private parking and storage.”

The landlord then went on to say the property was “pet-friendly, kid friendly” and “would suit an escort or a single parent with one child.”

He then stated his tenant must be “clean and disease free” but “420 OK” (in relation to smoking marijuana).

The original ad on Gumtree before it was removed. Picture: Gumtree.

A spokesperson from Gumtree said they were aware of the listing, and “the ad was deleted by Gumtree as it was identified as a community risk”.

The spokesperson said they were not able to provide when the ad was listed due to a stringent “privacy policy”.

However, the source who provided the ad to the Mercury indicated the listing was recent, and that they had shared it around a family group chat in disbelief.

A Google search result showed the ad was most recently updated on April 18.

Google search results still show details of the listing after it was deleted.

The Gumtree spokesperson said: “In the event that Gumtree detects such ads, or if it is reported by the community, we do take action on the ad, and if necessary – on the user’s account.

“In the event where it is necessary to involve the police, we do have a police liaison to handle the matter,” the spokesperson said.

Tasmania Police said the listing had not been formally reported but they encouraged the public to report inappropriate online content.

“In terms of legality or otherwise, the Sex Industry Act 2005 has specific offences in relation to ‘soliciting,’ however each individual case needs to be assessed to make a determination as to whether any offences may have been committed,” a Tasmania Police spokesperson said.

The Tenants Union of Tasmania put out a social media post on Friday warning of the property.

“Earlier this week we heard reports of a shed without bathroom or kitchen being offered for rent for $175 a week and thought this was bad, then we received this: A room in a share house in Claremont offered on gumtree to females for sex,” they said.

“This is a gross exploitation of vulnerable women, who are affected by the housing crisis. Governments at all levels need to pull every lever to end this crisis.

“This includes building more homes faster, introducing an empty homes levy, regulating short stay accommodation and more.

“No woman, having sex in exchange for a roof over her head is freely and happily consenting to it.”

Online abuse or illegal or restricted online content can be reported to esafety.gov.au/report. In an emergency call triple zero.

Originally published as Tasmanian man lists Claremont property on Gumtree; offering female tenants free rent for sex