Peers who have admitted that they spend little or no time in the property they designate as their main home for expenses purposes are likely to escape sanction after a landmark ruling by the House of Lords.

The decision by Michael Pownall, the Clerk of the Parliaments, came in a letter clearing the arrangements of Lord Rennard, the former chief executive of the Liberal Democrats. Mr Pownall said that the peer had not breached any rules by declaring as his main home a property in Eastbourne he travelled to at weekends.

At least 20 peers have had their expenses called into question in recent months, including Lord Paul , the billionaire Labour funder.

Mr Pownall said in a letter: “In view of the assurances by Lord Rennard about the change in his circumstances and the time he spends in Eastbourne, and in the absence of any definition of ‘main address’ in the current guidance to the House of Lords’ Members Expenses Scheme, I have come to the conclusion that I should not uphold the complaint.”

Mr Pownall is understood to have been asked to look at seven cases, although three of his inquiries were suspended because the cases are being investigated by the police. One concerns the arrangements of Baroness Uddin, who said that an empty and unfurnished flat in Maidstone, Kent, was her main home so that she could claim for accommodation in London. The second is that of Lord Clarke of Hampstead, who admitted claiming for nights spent in London when he had returned to his home outside the capital. The third was that of Lord Taylor of Warwick, who said his main home was his mother’s house, which had been sold when she died.

The critical ruling came after Mr Pownall was asked to investigate the arrangements of Lord Rennard, who stepped down from the Liberal Democrat role for health reasons. House of Lords authorities had received a complaint that Lord Rennard claimed £41,000 for staying overnight in London to attend Parliament when he owns a house two miles from Westminster.

Mr Pownall found that Lord Rennard’s claims for overnight subsistence allowance were “in accordance with the rules and guidance on Members’ expenses applicable at the time”. He rejected allegations that Lord Rennard claimed overnight subsistence for days when not at the Lords.

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