diff --git a/syncapi/consumers/roomserver.go b/syncapi/consumers/roomserver.go
index 5b3a2c027..cfbb05327 100644
--- a/syncapi/consumers/roomserver.go
+++ b/syncapi/consumers/roomserver.go
@@ -155,6 +155,7 @@ func (s *OutputRoomEventConsumer) onRedactEvent(
 			"event_id":          msg.RedactedBecause.EventID(),
 			"redacted_event_id": msg.RedactedEventID,
 		}).WithError(err).Warn("Failed to redact relations")
+		return err
 	}
 
 	// fake a room event so we notify clients about the redaction, as if it were
@@ -285,6 +286,7 @@ func (s *OutputRoomEventConsumer) onNewRoomEvent(
 			"event_id": ev.EventID(),
 			"type":     ev.Type(),
 		}).WithError(err).Warn("Failed to update relations")
+		return err
 	}
 
 	s.pduStream.Advance(pduPos)
@@ -337,6 +339,7 @@ func (s *OutputRoomEventConsumer) onOldRoomEvent(
 			"event_id": ev.EventID(),
 			"type":     ev.Type(),
 		}).WithError(err).Warn("Failed to update relations")
+		return err
 	}
 
 	if pduPos, err = s.notifyJoinedPeeks(ctx, ev, pduPos); err != nil {
diff --git a/syncapi/storage/shared/storage_consumer.go b/syncapi/storage/shared/storage_consumer.go
index d97ae667b..8292e81f7 100644
--- a/syncapi/storage/shared/storage_consumer.go
+++ b/syncapi/storage/shared/storage_consumer.go
@@ -604,14 +604,10 @@ func (d *Database) UpdateRelations(ctx context.Context, event *gomatrixserverlib
 		return nil
 	default:
 		return d.Writer.Do(d.DB, nil, func(txn *sql.Tx) error {
-			var err error
-			_, err = d.Relations.InsertRelation(
+			_, err := d.Relations.InsertRelation(
 				ctx, txn, event.RoomID(), content.Relations.EventID,
 				event.EventID(), content.Relations.RelationType,
 			)
-			if err != nil {
-				logrus.WithError(err).Errorf("Failed to update relations for room %s when processing event %s", event.RoomID(), event.EventID())
-			}
 			return err
 		})
 	}
diff --git a/syncapi/storage/sqlite3/relations_table.go b/syncapi/storage/sqlite3/relations_table.go
index 991f7e471..2aac4d0c7 100644
--- a/syncapi/storage/sqlite3/relations_table.go
+++ b/syncapi/storage/sqlite3/relations_table.go
@@ -97,14 +97,13 @@ func NewSqliteRelationsTable(db *sql.DB, streamID *StreamIDStatements) (tables.R
 func (s *relationsStatements) InsertRelation(
 	ctx context.Context, txn *sql.Tx, roomID, eventID, childEventID, relType string,
 ) (streamPos types.StreamPosition, err error) {
-	pos, err := s.streamIDStatements.nextRelationID(ctx, txn)
-	if err != nil {
+	if streamPos, err = s.streamIDStatements.nextRelationID(ctx, txn); err != nil {
 		return
 	}
-	_, err = sqlutil.TxStmt(txn, s.insertRelationStmt).ExecContext(
-		ctx, pos, roomID, eventID, childEventID, relType,
-	)
-	return pos, err
+	err = sqlutil.TxStmt(txn, s.insertRelationStmt).QueryRowContext(
+		ctx, streamPos, roomID, eventID, childEventID, relType,
+	).Scan(&streamPos)
+	return
 }
 
 func (s *relationsStatements) DeleteRelation(