diff --git a/roomserver/storage/postgres/rooms_table.go b/roomserver/storage/postgres/rooms_table.go
index 994399532..c8346733d 100644
--- a/roomserver/storage/postgres/rooms_table.go
+++ b/roomserver/storage/postgres/rooms_table.go
@@ -58,6 +58,9 @@ const insertRoomNIDSQL = "" +
 const selectRoomNIDSQL = "" +
 	"SELECT room_nid FROM roomserver_rooms WHERE room_id = $1"
 
+const selectRoomNIDForUpdateSQL = "" +
+	"SELECT room_nid FROM roomserver_rooms WHERE room_id = $1 FOR UPDATE"
+
 const selectLatestEventNIDsSQL = "" +
 	"SELECT latest_event_nids, state_snapshot_nid FROM roomserver_rooms WHERE room_nid = $1"
 
@@ -85,6 +88,7 @@ const bulkSelectRoomNIDsSQL = "" +
 type roomStatements struct {
 	insertRoomNIDStmt                  *sql.Stmt
 	selectRoomNIDStmt                  *sql.Stmt
+	selectRoomNIDForUpdateStmt         *sql.Stmt
 	selectLatestEventNIDsStmt          *sql.Stmt
 	selectLatestEventNIDsForUpdateStmt *sql.Stmt
 	updateLatestEventNIDsStmt          *sql.Stmt
@@ -106,6 +110,7 @@ func PrepareRoomsTable(db *sql.DB) (tables.Rooms, error) {
 	return s, sqlutil.StatementList{
 		{&s.insertRoomNIDStmt, insertRoomNIDSQL},
 		{&s.selectRoomNIDStmt, selectRoomNIDSQL},
+		{&s.selectRoomNIDForUpdateStmt, selectRoomNIDForUpdateSQL},
 		{&s.selectLatestEventNIDsStmt, selectLatestEventNIDsSQL},
 		{&s.selectLatestEventNIDsForUpdateStmt, selectLatestEventNIDsForUpdateSQL},
 		{&s.updateLatestEventNIDsStmt, updateLatestEventNIDsSQL},
@@ -169,6 +174,15 @@ func (s *roomStatements) SelectRoomNID(
 	return types.RoomNID(roomNID), err
 }
 
+func (s *roomStatements) SelectRoomNIDForUpdate(
+	ctx context.Context, txn *sql.Tx, roomID string,
+) (types.RoomNID, error) {
+	var roomNID int64
+	stmt := sqlutil.TxStmt(txn, s.selectRoomNIDForUpdateStmt)
+	err := stmt.QueryRowContext(ctx, roomID).Scan(&roomNID)
+	return types.RoomNID(roomNID), err
+}
+
 func (s *roomStatements) SelectLatestEventNIDs(
 	ctx context.Context, txn *sql.Tx, roomNID types.RoomNID,
 ) ([]types.EventNID, types.StateSnapshotNID, error) {
diff --git a/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go b/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go
index 641633b4e..fca767662 100644
--- a/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go
+++ b/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go
@@ -1360,9 +1360,9 @@ func (d *Database) PurgeRoom(ctx context.Context, roomID string) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("not supported on this database engine")
 	}
 	return d.Writer.Do(d.DB, nil, func(txn *sql.Tx) error {
-		roomNID, err := d.RoomsTable.SelectRoomNID(ctx, txn, roomID)
+		roomNID, err := d.RoomsTable.SelectRoomNIDForUpdate(ctx, txn, roomID)
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to find room NID: %w", err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to lock the room: %w", err)
 		}
 		if err := d.Purge.PurgeStateBlocks(ctx, txn, roomNID); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to purge state blocks: %w", err)
diff --git a/roomserver/storage/sqlite3/rooms_table.go b/roomserver/storage/sqlite3/rooms_table.go
index 25b611b3e..072746420 100644
--- a/roomserver/storage/sqlite3/rooms_table.go
+++ b/roomserver/storage/sqlite3/rooms_table.go
@@ -169,6 +169,12 @@ func (s *roomStatements) SelectRoomNID(
 	return types.RoomNID(roomNID), err
 }
 
+func (s *roomStatements) SelectRoomNIDForUpdate(
+	ctx context.Context, txn *sql.Tx, roomID string,
+) (types.RoomNID, error) {
+	return 0, fmt.Errorf("not supported on SQLite")
+}
+
 func (s *roomStatements) SelectLatestEventNIDs(
 	ctx context.Context, txn *sql.Tx, roomNID types.RoomNID,
 ) ([]types.EventNID, types.StateSnapshotNID, error) {
diff --git a/roomserver/storage/tables/interface.go b/roomserver/storage/tables/interface.go
index 508ac3c2b..3e93f5dff 100644
--- a/roomserver/storage/tables/interface.go
+++ b/roomserver/storage/tables/interface.go
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ type Events interface {
 type Rooms interface {
 	InsertRoomNID(ctx context.Context, txn *sql.Tx, roomID string, roomVersion gomatrixserverlib.RoomVersion) (types.RoomNID, error)
 	SelectRoomNID(ctx context.Context, txn *sql.Tx, roomID string) (types.RoomNID, error)
+	SelectRoomNIDForUpdate(ctx context.Context, txn *sql.Tx, roomID string) (types.RoomNID, error)
 	SelectLatestEventNIDs(ctx context.Context, txn *sql.Tx, roomNID types.RoomNID) ([]types.EventNID, types.StateSnapshotNID, error)
 	SelectLatestEventsNIDsForUpdate(ctx context.Context, txn *sql.Tx, roomNID types.RoomNID) ([]types.EventNID, types.EventNID, types.StateSnapshotNID, error)
 	UpdateLatestEventNIDs(ctx context.Context, txn *sql.Tx, roomNID types.RoomNID, eventNIDs []types.EventNID, lastEventSentNID types.EventNID, stateSnapshotNID types.StateSnapshotNID) error