'Free room for rent,' but there's a catch: Undercover investigation exposes shelter-for-sex ads
Posted: March 14th, 2025, 11:46 am
LANDLORDS ARE RAPING WOMEN VIA RENTING
The rental ad on Craigslist offers up one bedroom with "a warm bed available." But instead of a price tag, it comes with a description of who qualifies to sleep there — a "young petite female" looking to escape the cold.
When a Marketplace journalist, posing as a student in need of housing, responded to the listing and met the man behind it, he revealed the true cost.
"We fool around a little bit here and there," he said. "If you're not into actually having sex, that's cool. We can do other things," he added, before naming the specific sexual acts he expected in exchange for staying in his home rent-free.
A Marketplace investigation found that ads offering shelter in exchange for sex are not only common on popular rental sites, but they also often target young women and international students specifically. While some ads are explicit about their demands, others are more subtle, putting unsuspecting responders at risk, advocates for women warn.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/marketplace/mar ... -1.7482710