A leading estate agency in Scotland has warned tenants against using social media to find rental properties following fresh reports of unscrupulous landlords offering sex-for-rent.

The recent Times investigation into online adverts revealed six landlords in Scotland offering rentals in exchange for sex with their tenants and follows findings from Shelter Scotland which point to a growing sex-for-rent epidemic in the region.

While these arrangements are illegal in England under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, Scottish law is more ambiguous because sex-for-rent is not necessarily considered prostitution as money does not change hands.

Victims don’t have recourse under Scottish tenancy laws either, with most perpetrators not considered landlords; anyone renting out a room in their only or main dwelling aren’t required to join the landlord register.

Sex for rent

However, the article went on to highlight that the investigation involved registered landlords, explaining: “Out of 32 Scottish councils, 29 confirmed that no landlords had been removed from their registers for trying to strike sex-for-rent deals in the past ten years.”

David Alexander, CEO of DJ Alexander Scotland (main pic), believes the scams are reminders of the risks involved in renting property advertised online from an unknown and unregulated source.

While these may be extreme examples, he says they are a disgrace to the industry and highlight the real risks that many tenants face in dealing with properties featured through online classified advertisements.

“We must ensure that all involved in the sector protect tenants as much as possible while the legal and regulatory authorities must take action to ensure these despicable activities are eradicated,”

Alexander adds. “These circumstances arise when demand is high and people become desperate to rent, often at short notice. Online classifieds may seem like a way of getting a bargain but clearly, in some cases, the risks are unacceptable.”

In 2018 a letting agency in England was investigated over an advert featured on Rightmove that appeared to be offering a ‘sex for rent’ arrangement.