diff --git a/synapse/config/tls.py b/synapse/config/tls.py
index e37a41eff43ce6f4dc61f29420497ac58d7e1ac1..86e6eb80dbe313e7a7cd7e482a5fa8df078a7e20 100644
--- a/synapse/config/tls.py
+++ b/synapse/config/tls.py
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ class TlsConfig(Config):
         """
         self.tls_certificate = self.read_tls_certificate()
 
-        if not self.no_tls:
+        if self.has_tls_listener():
             self.tls_private_key = self.read_tls_private_key()
 
         self.tls_fingerprints = list(self._original_tls_fingerprints)
diff --git a/tests/config/test_tls.py b/tests/config/test_tls.py
index 4ccaf35603e0ba4463a1f29b5123fa96c229c8fd..d8fd18a9cb9f3f4055849ab50275d9c605d58ec1 100644
--- a/tests/config/test_tls.py
+++ b/tests/config/test_tls.py
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@ from synapse.config.tls import TlsConfig
 from tests.unittest import TestCase
 
 
+class TestConfig(TlsConfig):
+    def has_tls_listener(self):
+        return False
+
+
 class TLSConfigTests(TestCase):
 
     def test_warn_self_signed(self):
@@ -55,11 +60,10 @@ s4niecZKPBizL6aucT59CsunNmmb5Glq8rlAcU+1ZTZZzGYqVYhF6axB9Qg=
 
         config = {
             "tls_certificate_path": os.path.join(config_dir, "cert.pem"),
-            "no_tls": True,
             "tls_fingerprints": []
         }
 
-        t = TlsConfig()
+        t = TestConfig()
         t.read_config(config)
         t.read_certificate_from_disk()