Rooms exchanged for sex
MEN are taking advantage of the rental crisis by placing online advertisements offering women free rooms in exchange for sex.
The zero-rent ads, targeting desperate women looking for somewhere to live, are becoming increasingly common on popular "share house'' rental websites.
Although there have been numerous complaints about the ads, which some website users have dubbed "offensive'', they do not breach policy guidelines for sites such as flatmates.com.au
A statement on flatmates.com.au says that if the site were to impose a ban, the ads would merely go underground, making the process unsafe for women.
The revelation comes after The Weekend Post last week revealed it is now cheaper to buy a house than to rent.
Last month, a report revealed rental prices in Cairns were among the highest in Australia.
The city ranked eighth in the top 10 most unaffordable housing rental markets in a survey by the Residential Development Council.
Last year, a Gordonvale man who advertised a shed with dirt floor for rent received numerous inquiries from families desperate for accommodation.
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