diff --git a/zuul/driver/gerrit/gerritmodel.py b/zuul/driver/gerrit/gerritmodel.py
index e9043119f5..42d52cc268 100644
--- a/zuul/driver/gerrit/gerritmodel.py
+++ b/zuul/driver/gerrit/gerritmodel.py
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ EMPTY_GIT_REF = '0' * 40  # git sha of all zeros, used during creates/deletes
 class GerritChange(Change):
     def __init__(self, project):
         super(GerritChange, self).__init__(project)
+        self.status = None
         self.approvals = []
 
     def update(self, data, connection):
diff --git a/zuul/driver/github/githubmodel.py b/zuul/driver/github/githubmodel.py
index 8463d07f4d..da06da46fc 100644
--- a/zuul/driver/github/githubmodel.py
+++ b/zuul/driver/github/githubmodel.py
@@ -47,11 +47,6 @@ class PullRequest(Change):
     def status(self):
         return ["{}:{}:{}".format(*c) for c in self.contexts]
 
-    @status.setter
-    def status(self, value):
-        # Dummy setter to ignore init to None in base class.
-        pass
-
     @property
     def successful_contexts(self) -> set:
         if not self.contexts:
diff --git a/zuul/driver/pagure/paguremodel.py b/zuul/driver/pagure/paguremodel.py
index f62e7f7874..ebcbb11b7f 100644
--- a/zuul/driver/pagure/paguremodel.py
+++ b/zuul/driver/pagure/paguremodel.py
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ class PullRequest(Change):
         self.score = 0
         self.files = []
         self.tags = []
+        self.status = None
 
     def __repr__(self):
         r = ['<Change 0x%x' % id(self)]
diff --git a/zuul/model.py b/zuul/model.py
index ecf5c62fa8..f53a9e5b4c 100644
--- a/zuul/model.py
+++ b/zuul/model.py
@@ -3204,7 +3204,6 @@ class Change(Branch):
         self.is_merged = False
         self.failed_to_merge = False
         self.open = None
-        self.status = None
         self.owner = None
 
         # This may be the commit message, or it may be a cover message