Division · No. 283Monday, 8 September 2025Commons Renters

Renters’ Rights Bill: Motion to disagree with Lords Amendment 39

325
Ayes
171
Noes
Passed · Government won
152 did not vote
Analysis
Commons

**What happened:** On 8 September 2025, the House of Commons voted 325 to 171 to reject Lords Amendment 39 to the Renters' Rights Bill. This was a "motion to disagree," meaning MPs voted to remove a change the House of Lords had inserted into the Bill and restore the government's original text. The vote passed comfortably, continuing a pattern seen across several Lords amendments considered the same day. **Why it matters:** The Renters' Rights Bill is the government's flagship legislation to overhaul the private rented sector in England. Lords Amendment 39 represented an attempt by the upper chamber to modify the Bill's provisions, and the Commons' rejection restores the government's preferred approach to whichever aspect of rental reform the amendment addressed. The Bill as a whole is designed to strengthen protections for tenants, including abolishing no-fault evictions, reforming tenancy structures, and regulating rent increases. By pushing back against Lords changes, the government is preserving the full scope of those reforms as it originally designed them. **The politics:** The vote divided almost entirely along government versus opposition lines. Labour MPs, including those sitting under the Labour and Co-operative Party label, voted almost unanimously in favour of rejecting the amendment, providing the 325-strong majority. Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, the Democratic Unionist Party, the Green Party, and most independents voted against, totalling 171. Notably, this was a tighter result than several other Lords amendments voted on the same day, where the government achieved majorities above 300, suggesting Amendment 39 touched on more contested ground within the broader Bill. The Bill is progressing through parliamentary ping-pong, the back-and-forth process between Commons and Lords, as the government works to pass its rental reform agenda into law.

Voting Aye meant
Support rejecting the Lords amendment, trusting the government's alternative plan (a defence housing strategy, £1.5bn investment, and annual MOD reports to Parliament) to improve service family accommodation standards without putting them in the Renters' Rights Bill
Voting No meant
Support the Lords amendment requiring service family accommodation to meet the new decent homes standard enshrined in the Renters' Rights Bill, providing statutory certainty for military families
§ 01Who voted how.496 voting members · 152 absent
Aye324No173DID NOT VOTE · 152

496 voting MPs. Each dot is one vote; left-to-right by party. Grey dots in the centre are the 152 who did not vote.

Aye
No
Absent
Labour PartyWhipped Aye
284
1
77
Conservative and Unionist PartyWhipped No
0
89
27
Liberal DemocratsWhipped No
0
62
10
Labour and Co-operative PartyWhipped Aye
36
0
6
Independent
3
4
6
Scottish National Party
0
0
9
Reform UKWhipped No
0
7
1
Sinn Féin
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist PartyWhipped No
0
4
1
Green Party of England and WalesWhipped No
0
3
1
Plaid Cymru
0
0
4
Social Democratic and Labour Party
1
0
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
0
0
1
Speaker
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
0
1
Ulster Unionist Party
0
1
Your Party
0
1
§ 02From the debate.8 principal speakers
Matthew PennycookSupportiveGreenwich and Woolwich
Government must reject most Lords amendments as they undermine core Bill principles; supports amendments on agricultural workers and maintains 12-month no-let restriction to prevent abuse.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (4,162 words)
Sir James CleverlyOpposedBraintree
Bill is poorly thought through and counterproductive; will drive landlords out and reduce housing supply; Lords amendments attempt to address real problems the Government has created.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (2,220 words)
Gideon AmosNeutralTaunton and Wellington
Supports Bill's core aims but backs certain Lords amendments including those on shared owners (19), carers (64), and military housing (39) to improve fairness and accountability.Liberal Democrat · Voted no · Read full speech (2,366 words)
Antonia BanceSupportiveTipton and Wednesbury
Bill is groundbreaking and must be protected; opposes amendments that weaken discrimination enforcement and the 12-month no-let restriction; urges rapid implementation.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (344 words)
Danny BealesSupportiveUxbridge and South Ruislip
Bill essential to address sector imbalance; opposes amendments on standard of proof (26-27), pet deposits (11), and re-let periods (18) as they undermine tenant protections.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,319 words)
Vikki SladeSupportiveMid Dorset and North Poole
Bill overdue; strongly opposes amendments on pet deposits (11), re-let periods (18), and standard of proof (26); backs military housing standard (39).Liberal Democrat · Voted no · Read full speech (1,023 words)
Rachel BlakeSupportiveCities of London and Westminster
Bill's core principles must be preserved; opposes Lords amendments expanding eviction grounds and raising standard of proof; criticises Opposition for abandoning no-fault eviction commitment.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (687 words)
Dave RobertsonSupportiveLichfield
Bill provides critical opportunity for survivors of domestic abuse; opposes amendments that weaken tenant protections and stability.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (197 words)
§ 03Related divisions.Same topic · recent
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0