diff --git a/docs/api-guide/renderers.md b/docs/api-guide/renderers.md
index e1c83477b..ef0ed46f1 100644
--- a/docs/api-guide/renderers.md
+++ b/docs/api-guide/renderers.md
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ For example:
             # and additionally requiresa 'template_name'.
             # It does not require serialization.
             data = {'users': queryset}
-            return Response(data, template='list_users.html')
+            return Response(data, template_name='list_users.html')
 
         # JSONRenderer requires serialized data as normal.
         serializer = UserSerializer(instance=queryset)
diff --git a/rest_framework/renderers.py b/rest_framework/renderers.py
index 3227a03a9..4157468fd 100644
--- a/rest_framework/renderers.py
+++ b/rest_framework/renderers.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ from django import forms
 from django.template import RequestContext, loader
 from django.utils import simplejson as json
 from rest_framework.compat import yaml
+from rest_framework.exceptions import ConfigurationError
 from rest_framework.settings import api_settings
 from rest_framework.request import clone_request
 from rest_framework.utils import dict2xml
@@ -142,19 +143,41 @@ class HTMLTemplateRenderer(BaseRenderer):
 
     media_type = 'text/html'
     format = 'html'
-    template = None
+    template_name = None
 
     def render(self, data=None, accepted_media_type=None):
         """
-        Renders *obj* using the :attr:`template` specified on the class.
-        """
-        if data is None:
-            return ''
+        Renders data to HTML, using Django's standard template rendering.
 
-        template = loader.get_template(self.template)
-        context = RequestContext(self.view.request, {'object': data})
+        The template name is determined by (in order of preference):
+
+        1. An explicit .template_name set on the response.
+        2. An explicit .template_name set on this class.
+        3. The return result of calling view.get_template_names().
+        """
+        view = self.view
+        request, response = view.request, view.response
+
+        template_names = self.get_template_names(response, view)
+        template = self.resolve_template(template_names)
+        context = self.resolve_context(data, request)
         return template.render(context)
 
+    def resolve_template(self, template_names):
+        return loader.select_template(template_names)
+
+    def resolve_context(self, data, request):
+        return RequestContext(request, data)
+
+    def get_template_names(self, response, view):
+        if response.template_name:
+            return [response.template_name]
+        elif self.template_name:
+            return [self.template_name]
+        elif hasattr(view, 'get_template_names'):
+            return view.get_template_names()
+        raise ConfigurationError('Returned a template response with no template_name')
+
 
 class DocumentingHTMLRenderer(BaseRenderer):
     """
diff --git a/rest_framework/response.py b/rest_framework/response.py
index fca631c3a..796750fc4 100644
--- a/rest_framework/response.py
+++ b/rest_framework/response.py
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ class Response(SimpleTemplateResponse):
     arbitrary media types.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, data=None, status=None, headers=None,
-                 renderer=None, accepted_media_type=None):
+    def __init__(self, data=None, status=None,
+                 template_name=None, headers=None):
         """
         Alters the init arguments slightly.
         For example, drop 'template_name', and instead use 'data'.
@@ -20,21 +20,21 @@ class Response(SimpleTemplateResponse):
         super(Response, self).__init__(None, status=status)
         self.data = data
         self.headers = headers and headers[:] or []
-
-        self.accepted_renderer = renderer
-        self.accepted_media_type = accepted_media_type
+        self.template_name = template_name
 
     @property
     def rendered_content(self):
         renderer = self.accepted_renderer
+        media_type = self.accepted_media_type
 
-        assert renderer, "No renderer set on Response"
+        assert renderer, "No accepted renderer set on Response"
+        assert media_type, "No accepted media type set on Response"
 
-        self['content-type'] = self.accepted_media_type
+        self['content-type'] = media_type
         if self.data is None:
             return renderer.render()
 
-        return renderer.render(self.data, self.accepted_media_type)
+        return renderer.render(self.data, media_type)
 
     @property
     def status_text(self):
diff --git a/rest_framework/tests/htmlrenderer.py b/rest_framework/tests/htmlrenderer.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2c672dd08
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rest_framework/tests/htmlrenderer.py
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+from django.conf.urls.defaults import patterns, url
+from django.test import TestCase
+from django.template import TemplateDoesNotExist, Template
+import django.template.loader
+from rest_framework.decorators import api_view, renderer_classes
+from rest_framework.renderers import HTMLTemplateRenderer
+from rest_framework.response import Response
+
+
+@api_view(('GET',))
+@renderer_classes((HTMLTemplateRenderer,))
+def example(request):
+    """
+    A view that can returns an HTML representation.
+    """
+    data = {'object': 'foobar'}
+    return Response(data, template_name='example.html')
+
+
+urlpatterns = patterns('',
+    url(r'^$', example),
+)
+
+
+class HTMLRendererTests(TestCase):
+    urls = 'rest_framework.tests.htmlrenderer'
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        """
+        Monkeypatch get_template
+        """
+        self.get_template = django.template.loader.get_template
+
+        def get_template(template_name):
+            if template_name == 'example.html':
+                return Template("example: {{ object }}")
+            raise TemplateDoesNotExist(template_name)
+
+        django.template.loader.get_template = get_template
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        """
+        Revert monkeypatching
+        """
+        django.template.loader.get_template = self.get_template
+
+    def test_simple_html_view(self):
+        response = self.client.get('/')
+        self.assertContains(response, "example: foobar")
+        self.assertEquals(response['content-type'], 'text/html')