Landlords offering rooms in exchange for sex have been exposed in a new BBC documentary.
An undercover reporter replied to a number of ads on Craigslist offering free accommodation in return for 'adult arrangements'.
Reporter Ellie Flynn found hundreds of adverts for similar set-ups across the UK and, after posing as a woman looking for somewhere to live, she was quickly invited to a number of 'interviews' with potential landlords who were keen to meet her to explain how the arrangement works.
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In Newcastle she met a man who was offering a 'log cabin' in his back garden for free in exchange for weekly sex.
He told undercover Ellie: "In the garden I built a log cabin. It's a log cabin and that's where you sleep. It's an arrangement you know, it's a physical arrangement, once a week
"We get together, have a bit of fun. Nothing abnormal, nothing strange, I'm just a normal guy."
Speaking about the sexual side of the arrangement, he said: "You've got to be able to deal with that."
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Another man she spoke to said he had had several women stay with him under the conditions of sex for a free place to stay.
Ellie also spoke to some of the women who told her they would be prepared to have sex with these men in return for somewhere to live.
One woman, who was on the brink of homelessness, told her: "People can help you, I think of it as it's only fair for me to give them what they want because they're giving me what I want.
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"They are looking after me, so I'm looking after them because I'm getting a roof over my head. I'm there to give them what they want."
A former tenant told Ellie she had 'felt paralysed' during such encounters.
She said: "I would just feel almost paralysed every time he tried to touch me, but he didn't do that. In a sense, I am kind of grateful he didn't do that."
She went on to tell Ellie she 'apologised' for refusing to sleep with him.
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The documentary also pointed out that, despite what many think, the practice is illegal as "inciting or causing someone to become a prostitute is a crime under the Sexual Offences Act 2003." However, as yet, no one has been brought before a court for this specific set-up.
Ellie Undercover: Rent For Sex is available to watch on BBC Three now. You can watch it here.
Featured Image Credit: BBC