Housing is a key reason why people are pushed into sex work.

Across the UK, women are being pushed into the sex industry by the housing crisis — and then locked out of safe, stable housing because of stigma, criminalisation, and discrimination.

The English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) interviewed 10 sex workers (9 women and 1 man) about housing.

Everyone we spoke to said they were doing sex work directly because of housing: either due to the high cost of their daily expenses (including rent), or because of having to pay a large proportion of their rent upfront to secure a tenancy.

“One of the main reasons women are doing sex work is housing – rent is so high and not everyone can simply get another job.”

“Women are doing sex work to survive and afford housing — and then punished for it.”

All of those interviewed describe a system where rent is unaffordable and housing conditions are often substandard but felt they had little or no rights to demand better, mainly because landlords hold overwhelming power.

Locked Out of Housing — No Papers, No Proof, No Home

When work isn’t recognised, neither are workers.

Sex workers are actively excluded from housing and discriminated against in the housing they are able to access.

Sex workers face many of the same barriers in accessing housing that others do, including insufficient benefits, lack of social housing, extortionate rent, no deposit and arbitrary evictions. In addition, because sex work is not formally recognised as employment, many workers cannot provide proof of income; credit checks; employment records; or references, shutting them out of the private rental market from the very start.

“The lack of recognition of my work meant I couldn’t provide the necessary documentation.”

“I’m always worried about getting housing and I am scared if I am evicted from here that I won’t be able to find anywhere else. I’m scared that people will find out about my work and then they will have a reason to stop me getting housed”.

For working-class women, mothers and carers[1], trans women[2], migrants, women of colour, and those of us with criminal records, this barrier is even sharper: migrant workers may already lack documentation; language barriers and racism compound exclusion[3] while informal work histories are dismissed entirely. “Prostitute’s cautions” remain on an extended background check until you’re 100 years old.[4]

Exploitation Behind Closed Doors

Landlords weaponise stigma and illegality resulting in eviction, harassment and violence against sex workers.

Housing insecurity is constant — and often brutal. Sex workers consistently reported that landlords exploit their position, knowing tenants are unlikely to complain; this includes higher rents and sudden rent increases; unsafe, unregulated housing; threats of eviction; harassment, intimidation and demands for sex in exchange for housing.

“The landlord knew that as a sex worker, I couldn’t complain… and he used this to his advantage.”

“If you find somewhere good to work, the landlord may overcharge you because you are a sex worker.”

Example: Luciana — undocumented, trans, migrant

Luciana paid £1600 per month for a poor-quality flat. She had no contract and no rights, with everything arranged in cash. She was evicted after being reported by neighbours for doing sex work.

Then the abuse escalated:

“The landlord said that I could only remain and get my deposit back at the end if I provided him with regular sex.”

“When I refused he sent men around… breaking the door, throwing things from the window, one tried to drag me outside and hit me in the face”

The landlord was able to get away with coercion and violence because of Luciana’s desperate need for housing and knowing she was unable to call the police.

Example: Juliana — mother, migrant

“I was thrown out of my apartment at 10pm, without anywhere to stay.”

She relied on other sex workers for survival, showing how our communities end up filling in the gaps left by the state.

Example: Maria — migrant

When her income reduced, her landlord used sex work as grounds for eviction; he called the police even though he’d known all along that she was doing sex work; and he continued harassing her even after she challenged the eviction.

“He sent people around to cut CCTV cables and bash the front door down, which we then had to pay to get fixed . . .  and he sent me a note saying that I would get run over if I didn’t get out . . . I reported him for that. but the police didn’t do anything”

With support from the ECP, Maria was able to get legal advice and representation and successfully fight her case in court.

Maria’s case shows that collective action can be very effective and women can win against abusive landlords, resist eviction and expose unlawful behaviour that would otherwise go unchecked.

Poor Conditions, No Way Out

All of the workers we spoke to reported issues with mould and damp; lack of kitchens; and even showers placed in living rooms, yet they cannot complain.

“The bad conditions… are not worthy of paying such cost.”

“You are not safe or secure because they can do anything. One day they just say ‘leave’, and you have no rights, no protections against it and it is terrifying. The apartment can be in a very bad condition, and they will not do anything because there are desperate people who will pay for this”

For working-class women and migrant mothers, the stakes are even higher: children are raised in unsafe housing; threats from social services terrorise and punish women for being poor and impossible trade-offs must be made between rent, food, and safety.

“All of my money goes on rent… little to none is remaining, even for food.”

Example: Marissa — mother with baby

Marissa lived in unregistered housing with other adults placed there by the landlord that she then had to share the kitchen and bathroom with. She had no tenancy rights. Police visited the house because looking for one of the other tenants. When they saw Marissa’s housing conditions they told her she had to move or otherwise they would inform social services that her baby was living in unsuitable accommodation. Yet no help was offered. Marissa was stuck. The landlord wouldn’t issue an eviction notice because he was renting out the property illegally and without an eviction notice the council wouldn’t consider Marissa for rehousing.

“I was threatened that my baby would be taken… instead of being offered support.”

Marissa worked with the ECP over many months, including contacting her local MP, and was eventually won housing from the council.

Morality Clauses = Constant Fear

“Immoral behaviour” becomes a tool for eviction

Many tenancy agreements include vague morality clauses, allowing landlords to evict tenants for perceived “immoral” activity, including sex work, creating constant anxiety and surveillance.

Example: Daniel — queer man on benefits

“I’m anxious that the landlord may terminate my contract due to ‘immoral behaviour’ not because of anything I’ve done but if he finds out I do sex work.”

Daniel fears losing his deposit and faces a lot of discrimination in finding other housing because he’s on benefits. The housing element of Universal Credit didn’t cover the real cost of his rent when he was under 35.

“My rent is £675, they were giving me a total of £676… so after rent I was left with £1 a month to survive on.”

Homelessness & Survival

Housing insecurity regularly pushes sex workers into homelessness or near-homelessness.

“I was thrown out without any reason and without anywhere to stay.”

“I had to rely on other sex workers to stay with.”

“If rents were lower, many of us would have a choice about whether we do sex work.”

The Cost-of-Living Crisis is Making It Worse

Rising costs are pushing sex workers further into risk: one woman’s gas bill alone has increased by 70%; she now works until 3 or 4am; and clients at those hours are more likely to be drunk, high, or violent.

At the same time, more women, especially mothers, are entering sex work; housing remains unaffordable; and no-one can survive on the level of benefits available.

Conclusion

Women are driven into the sex industry by housing costs; denied housing because of that work; and exploited within housing because of criminalisation and stigma.

For working-class people, migrants, women of colour, and trans women, these harms are compounded and the result is exploitation and homelessness.

Collective action can make a difference. But housing charities and even renters’ unions (some of which have been extremely helpful to the ECP in fighting for sex workers’ housing rights and against evictions) need to be better informed about the particular issues that sex workers face.

Considering the way in which the criminalisation of sex work undermines sex workers’ access to secure housing, it is also imperative that housing organisations support demands for the decriminalisation of sex work.

 

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[1] In a 2023 Safety, Security and Affordability report from Acorn, 11.4% of respondents believed they have been refused housing by a landlord due to being a parent, guardian or carer of a child under 18. https://acorntheunion.org.uk/press-releases-reports/safety-security-and-affordability-report/

[2] One in four (25 per cent) of trans people report discrimination when looking for housing https://www.homelesshub.ca/resource/lgbt-britain-trans-report

[3] For example, renters’ experiences and research show that right to rent checks can lead to discrimination because of nationality, race or ethnicity. https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/private_renting/discrimination_right_to_rent_immigration_checks

[4] English Collective of Prostitutes. (2024) Proceed Without Caution: The Impact of ‘Prostitute’s Cautions’ and Convictions on Sex Workers’ Lives’ https://prostitutescollective.net/proceed-without-caution/