Renters' Rights Bill Report Stage: New Clause 20
181Ayes
363Noes
Defeated · majority 182 · Government won100 did not vote
644 Members · Aye 181 · No 363 · DNV 100 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
On 14 January 2025, the House of Commons voted on New Clause 20 during the Report Stage of the Renters' Rights Bill. The clause, which would have added further tenant protections or additional obligations on landlords beyond those already in the Bill, was defeated by 363 votes to 181. The Renters' Rights Bill represents the government's central legislative vehicle for reforming the private rented sector in England. New Clause 20 sought to go further than the government's own proposals, adding measures that ministers considered to exceed the scope of their planned reforms. Its defeat means the Bill will proceed without those additional provisions, leaving the government's existing package of rental reforms intact but unextended in this area. The vote produced an unusual cross-party alignment, with Conservatives (102 ayes), Liberal Democrats (64 ayes), Reform UK (6 ayes) and the Democratic Unionist Party (5 ayes) all voting in favour of the clause, while Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs voted unanimously against. The Greens and SDLP sided with the government in opposition. This pattern reflects the government using its majority to hold the Bill to its intended scope, defeating a cross-party opposition coalition that included parties with otherwise very different views on housing regulation. The Bill itself passed its Third Reading on the same day by 440 votes to 111, indicating broad parliamentary support for the overall legislation even where specific additions were rejected.
Voting Aye meant
Support requiring an impact assessment of the Renters' Rights Bill, arguing that reforms may shrink the rental market and harm tenants by reducing housing supply, particularly in rural areas
Voting No meant
Oppose the impact assessment requirement, backing the government's Renters' Rights Bill as introduced and rejecting Conservative attempts to delay or scrutinise it further
Each row is one party. The stacked bar gives the within-party split of Aye / No / Absent; the columns on the right give the raw counts. The whip column shows the published party position — “Free vote” means the whip was formally removed for this division.
Party
Whip
Aye / No / Abs
Aye
No
Abs
Labour Party
Whipped No
0
318
43
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
102
0
14
Liberal Democrats
Whipped Aye
64
0
8
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
35
7
Independent
—
3
5
6
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
Whipped Aye
6
0
1
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
5
0
0
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped No
0
4
0
Plaid Cymru
—
0
0
4
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
2
0
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
1
0
0
Restore Britain
—
1
0
0
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
1
0
0
Ulster Unionist Party
—
1
0
0
Your Party
—
0
1
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
Government amendments strengthen tenant protections by capping rent in advance at one month, limiting guarantor liability after tenant death, enabling landlord possession for redevelopment with alternative accommodation, and improving enforcement through database fees and ombudsman provisions.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (9,275 words) →
Bill creates unintended problems: locks out financially vulnerable tenants (poor credit scores, foreign workers, retirees) by removing rent-in-advance flexibility; imposes massive unfunded burdens on councils; lacks impact assessment; risks reducing housing supply as landlords exit sector or use short-term lets instead.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,176 words) →
Supports ending no-fault evictions and key protections, but amendments needed: extend student housing protections to off-street lets; limit in-tenancy rent increases to Bank of England base rate; require landlords to pay alternative accommodation costs; apply decent homes standard to military service family accommodation.Liberal Democrat · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,237 words) →
Highlights tenant vulnerabilities in London and south-east where rent-in-advance demands are astronomical (equivalent to home purchase deposits); welcomes reforms but notes enforcement and council capacity are critical.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,943 words) →
Seeks amendment to extend decent homes standard to Ministry of Defence service family accommodation to ensure service families receive same protections as other tenants.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (87 words) →
Warns that landlords are pre-emptively raising rents and terminating tenancies before the Bill takes effect; calls for immediate interim protections during transition period.Independent · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,265 words) →
Supports Bill as homelessness charity worker; measures will help charities provide more support to homeless people seeking rental accommodation.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (92 words) →
New clause 22 should require landlords to hold insurance and pay for alternative accommodation when properties become uninhabitable; current situation leaves tenants thousands of pounds out of pocket.Liberal Democrat · Voted aye · Read full speech (150 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0