Renters' Rights Bill Report Stage: Amendment 3
186Ayes
360Noes
Defeated · majority 174 · Government won98 did not vote
644 Members · Aye 186 · No 360 · DNV 98 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament defeated a Liberal Democrat amendment to the Renters' Rights Bill on 14 January 2025, which would have extended the Bill's proposed Decent Homes Standard to Ministry of Defence service family accommodation. The vote was 186 in favour and 360 against, meaning the amendment fell by a margin of 174 votes. The Decent Homes Standard, as included in the Bill, sets minimum property quality requirements for the private rented sector. Amendment 3 would have brought Ministry of Defence service family accommodation within the scope of that standard, giving military personnel and their families the same guaranteed minimum housing protections as private renters. Its defeat means service family accommodation will not be covered by that standard through this legislation, and the separate arrangements that apply to MoD housing will remain in place. The vote divided sharply along party lines. All 353 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted opposed the amendment. Conservatives (103), Liberal Democrats (64), Greens (4), Democratic Unionist Party MPs (5), and Reform UK MPs (4) all voted in favour, alongside most Independents who voted. Several Liberal Democrat MPs spoke to the amendment directly during the debate, arguing that the government's own flexibility provisions in the Bill made the exclusion of service family accommodation hard to justify.
Voting Aye meant
Support applying the Decent Homes Standard to MoD service family accommodation, so military personnel and their families have guaranteed minimum housing quality protections.
Voting No meant
Oppose extending the Decent Homes Standard to MoD accommodation, accepting the government's argument that separate arrangements are appropriate for service family housing.
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
103
0
13
Liberal Democrats
Whipped Aye
63
0
8
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
35
7
Independent
—
7
4
3
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
Whipped Aye
4
0
3
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
5
0
0
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Plaid Cymru
—
0
0
4
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
2
0
Your Party
—
1
1
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
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 aye · 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