diff --git a/clientapi/consumers/roomserver.go b/clientapi/consumers/roomserver.go
index f7e4e27fd..5aa3ce7dd 100644
--- a/clientapi/consumers/roomserver.go
+++ b/clientapi/consumers/roomserver.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/config"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/api"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib"
+	"github.com/tidwall/gjson"
 
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	sarama "gopkg.in/Shopify/sarama.v1"
@@ -99,24 +100,19 @@ func (s *OutputRoomEventConsumer) onMessage(msg *sarama.ConsumerMessage) error {
 		return errors.New("room version was not in sarama headers")
 	}
 
-	// Prepare the room event so that it has the correct field types
-	// for the room version
-	output.NewRoomEvent = &api.OutputNewRoomEvent{
-		Event: gomatrixserverlib.Event{},
-	}
-	if err := output.NewRoomEvent.Event.PrepareAs(roomVersion); err != nil {
-		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-			"room_version": roomVersion,
-		}).WithError(err).Errorf("can't prepare event to version")
-		return err
-	}
-
 	if err := json.Unmarshal(msg.Value, &output); err != nil {
 		// If the message was invalid, log it and move on to the next message in the stream
 		log.WithError(err).Errorf("roomserver output log: message parse failure")
 		return nil
 	}
 
+	evJSON := gjson.Get(string(msg.Value), "new_room_event.event")
+	if ev, err := gomatrixserverlib.NewEventFromUntrustedJSON([]byte(evJSON.String()), roomVersion); err == nil {
+		output.NewRoomEvent.Event = ev
+	} else {
+		return errors.New("unable to get new_room_event.event")
+	}
+
 	log.WithFields(log.Fields{
 		"event_id": output.NewRoomEvent.Event.EventID(),
 		"room_id":  output.NewRoomEvent.Event.RoomID(),
diff --git a/federationsender/consumers/roomserver.go b/federationsender/consumers/roomserver.go
index 9966c8101..cf72f6ced 100644
--- a/federationsender/consumers/roomserver.go
+++ b/federationsender/consumers/roomserver.go
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/api"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib"
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/tidwall/gjson"
 	sarama "gopkg.in/Shopify/sarama.v1"
 )
 
@@ -110,26 +111,19 @@ func (s *OutputRoomEventConsumer) onMessage(msg *sarama.ConsumerMessage) error {
 		return errors.New("room version was not in sarama headers")
 	}
 
-	fmt.Println("room version is", roomVersion)
-
-	// Prepare the room event so that it has the correct field types
-	// for the room version
-	output.NewRoomEvent = &api.OutputNewRoomEvent{
-		Event: gomatrixserverlib.Event{},
-	}
-	if err := output.NewRoomEvent.Event.PrepareAs(roomVersion); err != nil {
-		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-			"room_version": roomVersion,
-		}).WithError(err).Errorf("can't prepare event to version")
-		return err
-	}
-
 	if err := json.Unmarshal(msg.Value, &output); err != nil {
 		// If the message was invalid, log it and move on to the next message in the stream
 		log.WithError(err).Errorf("roomserver output log: message parse failure")
 		return nil
 	}
 
+	evJSON := gjson.Get(string(msg.Value), "new_room_event.event")
+	if ev, err := gomatrixserverlib.NewEventFromUntrustedJSON([]byte(evJSON.String()), roomVersion); err == nil {
+		output.NewRoomEvent.Event = ev
+	} else {
+		return errors.New("unable to get new_room_event.event")
+	}
+
 	ev := output.NewRoomEvent.Event
 	log.WithFields(log.Fields{
 		"event_id":       ev.EventID(),
diff --git a/publicroomsapi/consumers/roomserver.go b/publicroomsapi/consumers/roomserver.go
index 64f722098..0f43278b3 100644
--- a/publicroomsapi/consumers/roomserver.go
+++ b/publicroomsapi/consumers/roomserver.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/api"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib"
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/tidwall/gjson"
 	sarama "gopkg.in/Shopify/sarama.v1"
 )
 
@@ -92,24 +93,19 @@ func (s *OutputRoomEventConsumer) onMessage(msg *sarama.ConsumerMessage) error {
 		return errors.New("room version was not in sarama headers")
 	}
 
-	// Prepare the room event so that it has the correct field types
-	// for the room version
-	output.NewRoomEvent = &api.OutputNewRoomEvent{
-		Event: gomatrixserverlib.Event{},
-	}
-	if err := output.NewRoomEvent.Event.PrepareAs(roomVersion); err != nil {
-		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-			"room_version": roomVersion,
-		}).WithError(err).Errorf("can't prepare event to version")
-		return err
-	}
-
 	if err := json.Unmarshal(msg.Value, &output); err != nil {
 		// If the message was invalid, log it and move on to the next message in the stream
 		log.WithError(err).Errorf("roomserver output log: message parse failure")
 		return nil
 	}
 
+	evJSON := gjson.Get(string(msg.Value), "new_room_event.event")
+	if ev, err := gomatrixserverlib.NewEventFromUntrustedJSON([]byte(evJSON.String()), roomVersion); err == nil {
+		output.NewRoomEvent.Event = ev
+	} else {
+		return errors.New("unable to get new_room_event.event")
+	}
+
 	ev := output.NewRoomEvent.Event
 	log.WithFields(log.Fields{
 		"event_id": ev.EventID(),
diff --git a/syncapi/consumers/roomserver.go b/syncapi/consumers/roomserver.go
index 56f35cad6..57456815d 100644
--- a/syncapi/consumers/roomserver.go
+++ b/syncapi/consumers/roomserver.go
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/syncapi/types"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib"
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/tidwall/gjson"
 	sarama "gopkg.in/Shopify/sarama.v1"
 )
 
@@ -102,46 +103,30 @@ func (s *OutputRoomEventConsumer) onMessage(msg *sarama.ConsumerMessage) error {
 		return errors.New("room version was not in sarama headers")
 	}
 
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(msg.Value, &output); err != nil {
+		// If the message was invalid, log it and move on to the next message in the stream
+		log.WithError(err).Errorf("roomserver output log: message parse failure")
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	switch output.Type {
 	case api.OutputTypeNewRoomEvent:
-		output.NewRoomEvent = &api.OutputNewRoomEvent{
-			Event: gomatrixserverlib.Event{},
-		}
-		if err := output.NewRoomEvent.Event.PrepareAs(roomVersion); err != nil {
-			log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-				"room_version": roomVersion,
-			}).WithError(err).Errorf("can't prepare event to version")
-			return err
-		}
-		if err := json.Unmarshal(msg.Value, &output); err != nil {
-			// If the message was invalid, log it and move on to the next message in the stream
-			log.WithError(err).Errorf("roomserver output log: message parse failure")
-			return nil
+		evJSON := gjson.Get(string(msg.Value), "new_room_event.event")
+		if ev, err := gomatrixserverlib.NewEventFromUntrustedJSON([]byte(evJSON.String()), roomVersion); err == nil {
+			output.NewRoomEvent.Event = ev
+		} else {
+			return errors.New("unable to get new_room_event.event")
 		}
 		return s.onNewRoomEvent(context.TODO(), *output.NewRoomEvent)
 	case api.OutputTypeNewInviteEvent:
-		output.NewInviteEvent = &api.OutputNewInviteEvent{
-			Event: gomatrixserverlib.Event{},
-		}
-		if err := output.NewInviteEvent.Event.PrepareAs(roomVersion); err != nil {
-			log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-				"room_version": roomVersion,
-			}).WithError(err).Errorf("can't prepare event to version")
-			return err
-		}
-		if err := json.Unmarshal(msg.Value, &output); err != nil {
-			// If the message was invalid, log it and move on to the next message in the stream
-			log.WithError(err).Errorf("roomserver output log: message parse failure")
-			return nil
+		evJSON := gjson.Get(string(msg.Value), "new_invite_event.event")
+		if ev, err := gomatrixserverlib.NewEventFromUntrustedJSON([]byte(evJSON.String()), roomVersion); err == nil {
+			output.NewInviteEvent.Event = ev
+		} else {
+			return errors.New("unable to get new_invite_event.event")
 		}
 		return s.onNewInviteEvent(context.TODO(), *output.NewInviteEvent)
 	case api.OutputTypeRetireInviteEvent:
-		output.RetireInviteEvent = &api.OutputRetireInviteEvent{}
-		if err := json.Unmarshal(msg.Value, &output); err != nil {
-			// If the message was invalid, log it and move on to the next message in the stream
-			log.WithError(err).Errorf("roomserver output log: message parse failure")
-			return nil
-		}
 		return s.onRetireInviteEvent(context.TODO(), *output.RetireInviteEvent)
 	default:
 		log.WithField("type", output.Type).Debug(