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
On 14 January 2025, the House of Commons voted on Amendment 3 to the Renters' Rights Bill during its Report Stage (the stage at which the full House debates and votes on changes to a bill after it has been examined in committee). The amendment was defeated by 360 votes to 186. Every Labour and Labour and Co-operative MP who voted did so against the amendment, while the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats voted unanimously in favour, joined by smaller groups including the Greens, Reform UK, the Democratic Unionist Party, and a handful of independents. The Renters' Rights Bill is the government's flagship legislation to overhaul the private rented sector, including abolishing no-fault evictions and reforming how rent increases are handled. Amendment 3 sought to modify the terms of that reform, with those voting in favour arguing it would strengthen tenant protections or adjust rental market controls beyond what the government had proposed. By defeating the amendment, the government kept its own version of the bill intact at this stage. The result means the core framework of the bill as drafted by ministers remained unchanged on this point, directly affecting millions of private renters and landlords across England. The vote split almost entirely along government-versus-opposition lines. Labour and its Co-operative partners formed a solid bloc against the amendment, while Conservatives and Liberal Democrats united on the same side despite their broader political differences, a pattern repeated across several votes on the same day. Notably, the bill passed its Third Reading later that same sitting by 440 votes to 111, indicating that while opposition parties challenged individual provisions throughout Report Stage, there was ultimately broad enough support to send the bill to the House of Lords.
Voting Aye meant
Support capping rent demanded in advance to two months, giving tenants stronger statutory protection against landlords requiring large upfront payments
Voting No meant
Oppose this specific cap as unnecessary or too prescriptive, preferring the government's own new clauses which address rent-in-advance and guarantor protections differently
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
64
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
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 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