Sickening Gumtree listing slammed after offering ‘free rent in exchange for sex’ – find out the appalling details here

With the ongoing rent crisis in Australia, people are having difficulty finding a safe place to call home.

And in a shocking and disturbing example of the appalling depths of the rental crisis, a Gumtree advertisement emerged, offering free rent in exchange for a disturbing price – highlighting how people could take advantage of the ongoing housing crisis.



The advertisement for a rental property in Gumtree has been removed after it offered free housing in exchange for sex.

The property listing in Claremont, northwest of Hobart, was advertised on the online marketplace for $245 per week. It also claimed to be pet, kid, and ‘marijuana’-friendly. However, it was only available for rent to a female tenant.

In case any future tenant would be interested, the $245 per week rate could be waived in exchange for sexual favours.


house1.jpg
The home for rent was quickly removed from the online marketplace. Credit: Kindel Media/Pexels

The listing also said the property would suit an ‘escort’ or a ‘single parent with one child’. Additionally, the person who made the listing included a caveat that the woman had to be ‘clean and disease free’.

‘Please, no time wasters. Serious enquiries only,’ it read.



In return, the tenant will have their own room, locked door, and private parking and storage.

Gumtree quickly removed the post as it broke their community guidelines.

According to the online marketplace’s community guidelines, Gumtree does not allow ads that include ‘illegal activity’, and it prohibits ‘any activity that could cause harm’.


house2.jpg
A photo of the listing was uploaded on Facebook. Credit: The Tenants’ Union of Tasmania/Facebook

‘Harm’ in this regard includes physical or psychological harm, or any illegal activity.

‘If you believe you have identified potentially illegal activity on our site, report it to us immediately,’ the guidelines read.

A spokesperson for Tasmania Police released a statement: ‘In terms of legality or otherwise, the Sex Industry Act 2005 has specific offences in relation to 'soliciting.’

However, they added that each individual case needs to be assessed to determine whether any offences have been committed.



A spokesperson for Gumtree told reporters that in the event that Gumtree detects indecent or illegal ads such as this or if it is reported by the community, the website would 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.’

Naturally, the advertisement was slammed by the Tenants’ Union of Tasmania online, who then urged the government to take action to end the rental crisis.

‘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 captioned.

‘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,’ the union added.

According to them, the government must be building more homes faster, introducing an ‘empty homes levy’ regulating short-stay accommodations, and more.

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



The union also mentioned that the Australian Bureau of Statistics released data that revealed rents across Tasmania have increased by 45 per cent over the last 4.5 years.

‘The highest increase in the country is in the State with the lowest incomes,’ they said.

This comes after a new report from Anglicare Australia revealed that, out of more than 45,000 properties across Australia, less than one per cent were deemed ‘affordable’.

Moreover, only four properties nationwide were said to be reasonably priced for someone on JobSeeker or the age or disability support pensions. You can read more about this story here.
Key Takeaways
  • An advertisement for a room in a share house in Claremont, Tasmania, was pulled from Gumtree for offering free rent in exchange for sex.
  • The advertisement specified that the room was only available for women to rent and to be 'clean and disease-free’.
  • The Tenants' Union of Tasmania slammed the ad, calling it a 'gross exploitation of vulnerable women' and urged the government to take action to end the rental crisis.
  • The Tenants' Union also highlighted the significant increase in Tasmanian rents in recent years, urging the government to implement rent control measures and regulate short-stay accommodation.
This abhorrent advertisement is a frightening example of how vulnerable people can be to exploitation. If you have tales of rental horror stories in your local community, please share them with us in the comments below.
 
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And let us think of the quaratine facilities sitting empty now. Surely they could be utilised now for those who have no roof over their head.
I agree - most definitely! - they can be utilised as transitional housing while finding more suitable longer term housing. Workers could also be assigned there addressing peoples health issues etc, while the person or families are with them - what are they waiting for - these are already built!
 
With the ongoing rent crisis in Australia, people are having difficulty finding a safe place to call home.

And in a shocking and disturbing example of the appalling depths of the rental crisis, a Gumtree advertisement emerged, offering free rent in exchange for a disturbing price – highlighting how people could take advantage of the ongoing housing crisis.

[first][/first]

The advertisement for a rental property in Gumtree has been removed after it offered free housing in exchange for sex.

The property listing in Claremont, northwest of Hobart, was advertised on the online marketplace for $245 per week. It also claimed to be pet, kid, and ‘marijuana’-friendly. However, it was only available for rent to a female tenant.

In case any future tenant would be interested, the $245 per week rate could be waived in exchange for sexual favours.


View attachment 18809
The home for rent was quickly removed from the online marketplace. Credit: Kindel Media/Pexels

The listing also said the property would suit an ‘escort’ or a ‘single parent with one child’. Additionally, the person who made the listing included a caveat that the woman had to be ‘clean and disease free’.

‘Please, no time wasters. Serious enquiries only,’ it read.



In return, the tenant will have their own room, locked door, and private parking and storage.

Gumtree quickly removed the post as it broke their community guidelines.

According to the online marketplace’s community guidelines, Gumtree does not allow ads that include ‘illegal activity’, and it prohibits ‘any activity that could cause harm’.


View attachment 18810
A photo of the listing was uploaded on Facebook. Credit: The Tenants’ Union of Tasmania/Facebook

‘Harm’ in this regard includes physical or psychological harm, or any illegal activity.

‘If you believe you have identified potentially illegal activity on our site, report it to us immediately,’ the guidelines read.

A spokesperson for Tasmania Police released a statement: ‘In terms of legality or otherwise, the Sex Industry Act 2005 has specific offences in relation to 'soliciting.’

However, they added that each individual case needs to be assessed to determine whether any offences have been committed.



A spokesperson for Gumtree told reporters that in the event that Gumtree detects indecent or illegal ads such as this or if it is reported by the community, the website would 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.’

Naturally, the advertisement was slammed by the Tenants’ Union of Tasmania online, who then urged the government to take action to end the rental crisis.

‘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 captioned.

‘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,’ the union added.

According to them, the government must be building more homes faster, introducing an ‘empty homes levy’ regulating short-stay accommodations, and more.

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



The union also mentioned that the Australian Bureau of Statistics released data that revealed rents across Tasmania have increased by 45 per cent over the last 4.5 years.

‘The highest increase in the country is in the State with the lowest incomes,’ they said.

This comes after a new report from Anglicare Australia revealed that, out of more than 45,000 properties across Australia, less than one per cent were deemed ‘affordable’.

Moreover, only four properties nationwide were said to be reasonably priced for someone on JobSeeker or the age or disability support pensions. You can read more about this story here.
Key Takeaways

  • An advertisement for a room in a share house in Claremont, Tasmania, was pulled from Gumtree for offering free rent in exchange for sex.
  • The advertisement specified that the room was only available for women to rent and to be 'clean and disease-free’.
  • The Tenants' Union of Tasmania slammed the ad, calling it a 'gross exploitation of vulnerable women' and urged the government to take action to end the rental crisis.
  • The Tenants' Union also highlighted the significant increase in Tasmanian rents in recent years, urging the government to implement rent control measures and regulate short-stay accommodation.
This abhorrent advertisement is a frightening example of how vulnerable people can be to exploitation. If you have tales of rental horror stories in your local community, please share them with us in the comments below.
Just maybe if the government evicted the children of tenants in government housing after their parents have passed on then the alleged housing shortage could be halved overnight.
Just take a drive around areas when government housing has been built to house needy parents and count the number of expensive motor vehicles, boats and cars plus other expensive toys parked in these homes/unit complexes owned by the children of the original tenants and paying a minimal rent and keeping unfortunate citizens on the streets.
 
Just maybe if the government evicted the children of tenants in government housing after their parents have passed on then the alleged housing shortage could be halved overnight.
Just take a drive around areas when government housing has been built to house needy parents and count the number of expensive motor vehicles, boats and cars plus other expensive toys parked in these homes/unit complexes owned by the children of the original tenants and paying a minimal rent and keeping unfortunate citizens on the streets.
Gee what state is this in - that certainly doesn't happen in W.A. When a parent passes the adult child will be given a certain amount of time to vacate - on the grounds of compassion - this is not long.
In W.A. if you are living in Dept of Housing and you start working full - time - you are immediately charged a private rental amount depending on your wage and then you are given a set amount of time to find private accommodation - again i am not sure how long you have to vacate - this is certainly how it used to be - i am not sure if things have changed. I also am not sure if they allow adult children to stay if the parent was buying the property, if the child then agrees to continue to purchase-but if they are working, the repayments would be completely different, not at a minimal rate, & i would say that the childs name would have had to have been on the agreement whilst the parent was still alive. What DOHousing needs to do is build more housing and stop keeping the ones they have empty for years - saying they are earmarked for demolition and that it would cost to much to repair them. Bulldoze them, when they know this and start building - with one house gone, on some of the blocks here they can build 3 roomy villas. DOH here is not just for parents - it is for everyone who is on centrelink and meets DOHousings criteria/thankfully. We on this earth should all be housed - it is the foundation from where we can start building a life and it is how we all feel safe, with a sense of belonging,
 
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