‘Essentially prostitution’: Councillor claims students subjected to sexual abuse by landlords

A Brampton City Councillor says some landlords are taking advantage of international students, demanding sexual favours in exchange for housing and she has the ads to prove it.

Wards 1 & 5 Councillor Rowena Santos presented the rental ads during a Sept. 4 meeting of council, saying female international students are “being prostituted for rent.”

“They exploit them in the way of sometimes having 4-5 beds in one room,” she tells OMNI News. “They exploit them in the case presented at council suggesting that sexual favours will give them discounts on rent, essentially prostitution.”

Santos says many of these international students are unaware that they are being exploited, and without permanent status in the country, they are afraid to speak out.

“Because of different cultural dynamics, they don’t necessarily know what consent is and what friends with benefits mean,” she explained. “That ad showed if you’re willing to do friends with benefits then you only have to pay $200 instead of $300 and it’s absolutely disgusting.”

A former international student spoke to OMNI News about the exploitation she experienced as an Ontario renter.

“They force girls to do other things … they force us to be sexual with them,” said the woman whose identity we are protecting. The former student says she knows other women who, like her, have experienced landlords coming to their units without notice and asking for sexual favours in exchange for reduced rent.

“They don’t follow the rules that they have to give 24-48 hours’ notice, they don’t do that, they just come to your place and try to exploit you.”

Santos says the city is working with social agencies to connect with students and to support temporary residents who have been abused by their landlords.

“Many of them end up going to social agencies sharing that they’ve become pregnant, having mental health issues, some have committed suicide,” she said.

Councillors have also suggested the Residential Rental Licensing pilot program, launched at the beginning of 2024 to deal with the growing number of problem rentals, could also help crack down on abuses.