diff --git a/roomserver/storage/shared/membership_updater.go b/roomserver/storage/shared/membership_updater.go
index 5ddf6d84d..9184a1f40 100644
--- a/roomserver/storage/shared/membership_updater.go
+++ b/roomserver/storage/shared/membership_updater.go
@@ -18,21 +18,9 @@ type membershipUpdater struct {
 }
 
 func NewMembershipUpdater(
-	ctx context.Context, d *Database, roomID, targetUserID string,
+	ctx context.Context, d *Database, txn *sql.Tx, roomID, targetUserID string,
 	targetLocal bool, roomVersion gomatrixserverlib.RoomVersion,
-	useTxns bool,
 ) (types.MembershipUpdater, error) {
-	txn, err := d.DB.Begin()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	succeeded := false
-	defer func() {
-		if !succeeded {
-			txn.Rollback() // nolint: errcheck
-		}
-	}()
-
 	roomNID, err := d.assignRoomNID(ctx, txn, roomID, roomVersion)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -43,17 +31,7 @@ func NewMembershipUpdater(
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	updater, err := d.membershipUpdaterTxn(ctx, txn, roomNID, targetUserNID, targetLocal)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	succeeded = true
-	if !useTxns {
-		txn.Commit() // nolint: errcheck
-		updater.transaction.txn = nil
-	}
-	return updater, nil
+	return d.membershipUpdaterTxn(ctx, txn, roomNID, targetUserNID, targetLocal)
 }
 
 func (d *Database) membershipUpdaterTxn(
diff --git a/roomserver/storage/shared/room_recent_events_updater.go b/roomserver/storage/shared/room_recent_events_updater.go
index 8131f712d..b4c2153d6 100644
--- a/roomserver/storage/shared/room_recent_events_updater.go
+++ b/roomserver/storage/shared/room_recent_events_updater.go
@@ -17,11 +17,7 @@ type roomRecentEventsUpdater struct {
 	currentStateSnapshotNID types.StateSnapshotNID
 }
 
-func NewRoomRecentEventsUpdater(d *Database, ctx context.Context, roomNID types.RoomNID, useTxns bool) (types.RoomRecentEventsUpdater, error) {
-	txn, err := d.DB.Begin()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
+func NewRoomRecentEventsUpdater(ctx context.Context, d *Database, txn *sql.Tx, roomNID types.RoomNID) (types.RoomRecentEventsUpdater, error) {
 	eventNIDs, lastEventNIDSent, currentStateSnapshotNID, err :=
 		d.RoomsTable.SelectLatestEventsNIDsForUpdate(ctx, txn, roomNID)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -41,10 +37,6 @@ func NewRoomRecentEventsUpdater(d *Database, ctx context.Context, roomNID types.
 			return nil, err
 		}
 	}
-	if !useTxns {
-		txn.Commit() // nolint: errcheck
-		txn = nil
-	}
 	return &roomRecentEventsUpdater{
 		transaction{ctx, txn}, d, roomNID, stateAndRefs, lastEventIDSent, currentStateSnapshotNID,
 	}, nil
diff --git a/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go b/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go
index 5494e4654..cd1ef3759 100644
--- a/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go
+++ b/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go
@@ -333,13 +333,21 @@ func (d *Database) MembershipUpdater(
 	ctx context.Context, roomID, targetUserID string,
 	targetLocal bool, roomVersion gomatrixserverlib.RoomVersion,
 ) (types.MembershipUpdater, error) {
-	return NewMembershipUpdater(ctx, d, roomID, targetUserID, targetLocal, roomVersion, true)
+	txn, err := d.DB.Begin()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return NewMembershipUpdater(ctx, d, txn, roomID, targetUserID, targetLocal, roomVersion)
 }
 
 func (d *Database) GetLatestEventsForUpdate(
 	ctx context.Context, roomNID types.RoomNID,
 ) (types.RoomRecentEventsUpdater, error) {
-	return NewRoomRecentEventsUpdater(d, ctx, roomNID, true)
+	txn, err := d.DB.Begin()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return NewRoomRecentEventsUpdater(ctx, d, txn, roomNID)
 }
 
 func (d *Database) StoreEvent(
diff --git a/roomserver/storage/sqlite3/storage.go b/roomserver/storage/sqlite3/storage.go
index ae3140d7d..375a3f448 100644
--- a/roomserver/storage/sqlite3/storage.go
+++ b/roomserver/storage/sqlite3/storage.go
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ func (d *Database) GetLatestEventsForUpdate(
 	// 'database is locked' errors. As sqlite doesn't support multi-process on the
 	// same DB anyway, and we only execute updates sequentially, the only worries
 	// are for rolling back when things go wrong. (atomicity)
-	return shared.NewRoomRecentEventsUpdater(&d.Database, ctx, roomNID, false)
+	return shared.NewRoomRecentEventsUpdater(ctx, &d.Database, nil, roomNID)
 }
 
 func (d *Database) MembershipUpdater(
@@ -159,5 +159,5 @@ func (d *Database) MembershipUpdater(
 	// 'database is locked' errors. As sqlite doesn't support multi-process on the
 	// same DB anyway, and we only execute updates sequentially, the only worries
 	// are for rolling back when things go wrong. (atomicity)
-	return shared.NewMembershipUpdater(ctx, &d.Database, roomID, targetUserID, targetLocal, roomVersion, false)
+	return shared.NewMembershipUpdater(ctx, &d.Database, nil, roomID, targetUserID, targetLocal, roomVersion)
 }