diff --git a/synapse/http/client.py b/synapse/http/client.py
index 79c529291f..ca642a7a06 100644
--- a/synapse/http/client.py
+++ b/synapse/http/client.py
@@ -160,27 +160,8 @@ class SimpleHttpClient(object):
             On a non-2xx HTTP response. The response body will be used as the
             error message.
         """
-        if len(args):
-            query_bytes = urllib.urlencode(args, True)
-            uri = "%s?%s" % (uri, query_bytes)
-
-        response = yield self.request(
-            "GET",
-            uri.encode("ascii"),
-            headers=Headers({
-                b"User-Agent": [self.user_agent],
-            })
-        )
-
-        body = yield preserve_context_over_fn(readBody, response)
-
-        if 200 <= response.code < 300:
-            defer.returnValue(json.loads(body))
-        else:
-            # NB: This is explicitly not json.loads(body)'d because the contract
-            # of CodeMessageException is a *string* message. Callers can always
-            # load it into JSON if they want.
-            raise CodeMessageException(response.code, body)
+        body = yield self.get_raw(uri, args)
+        defer.returnValue(json.loads(body))
 
     @defer.inlineCallbacks
     def put_json(self, uri, json_body, args={}):
@@ -209,7 +190,7 @@ class SimpleHttpClient(object):
             "PUT",
             uri.encode("ascii"),
             headers=Headers({
-                b"User-Agent": [self.user_agent],
+                b"User-Agent": [self.version_string],
                 "Content-Type": ["application/json"]
             }),
             bodyProducer=FileBodyProducer(StringIO(json_str))
@@ -225,6 +206,42 @@ class SimpleHttpClient(object):
             # load it into JSON if they want.
             raise CodeMessageException(response.code, body)
 
+    @defer.inlineCallbacks
+    def get_raw(self, uri, args={}):
+        """ Gets raw text from the given URI.
+
+        Args:
+            uri (str): The URI to request, not including query parameters
+            args (dict): A dictionary used to create query strings, defaults to
+                None.
+                **Note**: The value of each key is assumed to be an iterable
+                and *not* a string.
+        Returns:
+            Deferred: Succeeds when we get *any* 2xx HTTP response, with the
+            HTTP body at text.
+        Raises:
+            On a non-2xx HTTP response. The response body will be used as the
+            error message.
+        """
+        if len(args):
+            query_bytes = urllib.urlencode(args, True)
+            uri = "%s?%s" % (uri, query_bytes)
+
+        response = yield self.request(
+            "GET",
+            uri.encode("ascii"),
+            headers=Headers({
+                b"User-Agent": [self.version_string],
+            })
+        )
+
+        body = yield preserve_context_over_fn(readBody, response)
+
+        if 200 <= response.code < 300:
+            defer.returnValue(body)
+        else:
+            raise CodeMessageException(response.code, body)
+
 
 class CaptchaServerHttpClient(SimpleHttpClient):
     """
diff --git a/synapse/rest/client/v1/login.py b/synapse/rest/client/v1/login.py
index 4de5f19591..f5cd6a1960 100644
--- a/synapse/rest/client/v1/login.py
+++ b/synapse/rest/client/v1/login.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 from twisted.internet import defer
 
 from synapse.api.errors import SynapseError, LoginError, Codes
+from synapse.http.client import SimpleHttpClient
 from synapse.types import UserID
 from base import ClientV1RestServlet, client_path_pattern
 
@@ -28,7 +29,6 @@ from saml2 import config
 from saml2.client import Saml2Client
 
 import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
-import requests
 
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -79,13 +79,16 @@ class LoginRestServlet(ClientV1RestServlet):
                 defer.returnValue((200, result))
             elif self.cas_enabled and (login_submission["type"] ==
                                        LoginRestServlet.CAS_TYPE):
-                url = "%s/proxyValidate" % (self.cas_server_url)
-                parameters = {
+                # TODO: get this from the homeserver rather than creating a new one for
+                # each request
+                http_client = SimpleHttpClient(self.hs)
+                uri = "%s/proxyValidate" % (self.cas_server_url,)
+                args = {
                     "ticket": login_submission["ticket"],
                     "service": login_submission["service"]
                 }
-                response = requests.get(url, verify=False, params=parameters)
-                result = yield self.do_cas_login(response.text)
+                body = yield http_client.get_raw(uri, args)
+                result = yield self.do_cas_login(body)
                 defer.returnValue(result)
             else:
                 raise SynapseError(400, "Bad login type.")