A regional journalist’s undercover exposé into rogue landlords who offered her rent-free accommodation in exchange for sex has prompted a police investigation.

Liverpool Echo senior reporter Emilia Bona, pictured, ran an investigation into men advertising such arrangements on Merseyside, with one offering her a flat in exchange for meeting up twice a week to “f*** like crazy”.

Emilia, 24, posed as ‘Emma’, a young woman in need of a place to live, and contacted two men who advertised flats to rent online – promising reduced or free rent as part of a private arrangement.

Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, ‘sex for rent’ arrangements are against the law because a crime is committed when a person causes or incites another to become a prostitute.

The Echo has since reported both men, who posted adverts on the Craigslist website, to Merseyside Police and provided officers with all the available information.

One of the men, a 48-year-old named in the Echo only as ‘Dave’ said in his advert he wanted to be a “daddy” to a “younger lady”, adding that in return he wanted a woman who is willing to “be good for daddy”.

He told ‘Emma': “From my point of it, I would like to see you a couple of times a week, have mad passionate sex, do all sorts of naughty things.”

Married Dave further boasted in a phone call with Emma that if sex was an Olympic event, he would “be winning gold every day of the week”.

The other man, a 48-year-old lorry driver known as ‘Paul’, was offering a room for £80 “for a female companion” who was willing to “share everything with him”.

Asked by Emma if sex was expected as part of the arrangement, Paul replied: “We would come to an agreement, yeah. An adults’ agreement. You know, we might like each other. Have you got a boyfriend?”

When Emilia later confronted both men as herself to tell them her article would be published, Dave denied any knowledge of the conversation with ‘Emma’ while Paul claimed he was only looking for someone to do his cleaning and ironing in exchange for the room.

Both men have since been reported to Merseyside police.

Wrote Emilia: “I was fortunate enough to be contacting these men from a position of complete security, but the conversations I had with them still left me feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Within minutes I was being offered a place to stay in exchange for sex. These men didn’t know me or my personal circumstances.

“I could speak to these men safe in the knowledge I would never have to consider such a risky situation in order to have a roof over my head. Not every woman is that lucky.”

Emilia told HTFP: “I’m incredibly proud the Echo has been able to publish this investigation on the sinister practice of ‘sex for rent’. Hours of work have gone into making it possible and my colleagues and editors have given so much of their time and energy to help make it a reality.

“It would not have been possible without the support, guidance and encouragement of my editors, who have helped me every step of the way. The practice of offering free or discounted housing in exchange for sex is dangerous and exploitative and I’m glad we were able to expose it on Merseyside.”

In May, HTFP reported how Wales Online journalist Bronte Howard’s real-life experience of being offered such arrangements while looking for accommodation in Cardiff after taking up her new job had prompted her to conduct a similar investigation to Emilia’s.