Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin has published legislation that would make it an offence to seek sex for rent or to advertise such arrangements.
The Dublin Mid-West TD said that rising rents combined with a limited supply of rental properties has led to some landlords preying on desperate and vulnerable tenants.
The move comes a week after RTÉ Investigates broadcast an undercover report highlighting the practice.
Mr Ó Broin said seeking sex for rent was a "disgusting predatory form of behaviour" that should be outlawed.
His bill seeks to amend the Residential Tenancies Act making it an offence for a landlord to seek sex in lieu of rent or to advertise for such an arrangement.
He said it was unacceptable that the Government had failed to act when reports of the practice first emerged in recent years.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Ó Broin said: "It does seem to be a hallmark of a Government that is always far too slow to protect renters from these kind of things."
'This has to be outlawed and it has to be outlawed soon' - Sinn Féin's Eoin Ó Broin has said 'time is of the essence' as he published legislation that would make it an offence to seek sex for rent or to advertise such arrangements | Read more: https://t.co/7vMDPCltTn pic.twitter.com/fLNSBUbbKm
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 2, 2023
Last year, a Social Democrats bill that proposed criminalising the behaviour faltered at committee stage in the Oireachtas.
The Ban on Sex for Rent Bill had sought to create two new offences criminalising both the person stipulating sex as a condition of accommodation, and online platforms that facilitate or host such advertisements.
That bill, brought forward by TD Cian O'Callaghan, received general support but it did not proceed due to several difficulties, including the generality of its wording and concerns as to how it would interact with existing sexual offences and domestic violence legislation.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said that while the issue is being examined, there is no timeframe for enacting new laws.
Mr Ó Broin said he would be hopeful Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien would be willing to work with Sinn Féin or if he (Mr O'Brien) has a better way of doing this, "then we will work with him".
"Time is of the essence, we cannot have a situation where people are being treated in the most outrageous and appalling manner," he said.
"This has to be outlawed and it has to be outlawed soon.
"We need some additional protection for renters now. Let's have cross party consensus and ban this appalling predatory practice."
