diff --git a/roomserver/internal/helpers/helpers.go b/roomserver/internal/helpers/helpers.go
index 474f3892c..ba0ff04f5 100644
--- a/roomserver/internal/helpers/helpers.go
+++ b/roomserver/internal/helpers/helpers.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/state"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/storage"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/storage/shared"
+	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/storage/tables"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/types"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/util"
@@ -28,7 +29,7 @@ func UpdateToInviteMembership(
 	// reprocessing this event, or because the we received this invite from a
 	// remote server via the federation invite API. In those cases we don't need
 	// to send the event.
-	needsSending, _, err := mu.Update(add)
+	needsSending, _, err := mu.Update(tables.MembershipStateInvite, add)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/roomserver/internal/input/input_membership.go b/roomserver/internal/input/input_membership.go
index 11993fd87..d3723aa17 100644
--- a/roomserver/internal/input/input_membership.go
+++ b/roomserver/internal/input/input_membership.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/api"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/internal/helpers"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/storage/shared"
+	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/storage/tables"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/types"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib"
 	"github.com/opentracing/opentracing-go"
@@ -152,7 +153,7 @@ func updateToJoinMembership(
 	// are active for that user. We notify the consumers that the invites have
 	// been retired using a special event, even though they could infer this
 	// by studying the state changes in the room event stream.
-	_, retired, err := mu.Update(add)
+	_, retired, err := mu.Update(tables.MembershipStateJoin, add)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -179,7 +180,7 @@ func updateToLeaveMembership(
 	// are active for that user. We notify the consumers that the invites have
 	// been retired using a special event, even though they could infer this
 	// by studying the state changes in the room event stream.
-	_, retired, err := mu.Update(add)
+	_, retired, err := mu.Update(tables.MembershipStateLeaveOrBan, add)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -201,7 +202,7 @@ func updateToLeaveMembership(
 func updateToKnockMembership(
 	mu *shared.MembershipUpdater, add *gomatrixserverlib.Event, updates []api.OutputEvent,
 ) ([]api.OutputEvent, error) {
-	if _, _, err := mu.Update(add); err != nil {
+	if _, _, err := mu.Update(tables.MembershipStateKnock, add); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	return updates, nil
diff --git a/roomserver/internal/perform/perform_leave.go b/roomserver/internal/perform/perform_leave.go
index 0377cbb84..74ccd7884 100644
--- a/roomserver/internal/perform/perform_leave.go
+++ b/roomserver/internal/perform/perform_leave.go
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/internal/helpers"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/internal/input"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/storage"
+	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/storage/tables"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/setup/config"
 	userapi "github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/userapi/api"
 )
@@ -228,7 +229,7 @@ func (r *Leaver) performFederatedRejectInvite(
 		util.GetLogger(ctx).WithError(err).Errorf("failed to get MembershipUpdater, still retiring invite event")
 	}
 	if updater != nil {
-		if _, _, err = updater.Update(leaveRes.Event.Unwrap()); err != nil {
+		if _, _, err = updater.Update(tables.MembershipStateLeaveOrBan, leaveRes.Event.Unwrap()); err != nil {
 			util.GetLogger(ctx).WithError(err).Errorf("failed to set membership to leave, still retiring invite event")
 			if err = updater.Rollback(); err != nil {
 				util.GetLogger(ctx).WithError(err).Errorf("failed to rollback membership leave, still retiring invite event")
diff --git a/roomserver/storage/shared/membership_updater.go b/roomserver/storage/shared/membership_updater.go
index 277b2d89a..67905d8fc 100644
--- a/roomserver/storage/shared/membership_updater.go
+++ b/roomserver/storage/shared/membership_updater.go
@@ -90,31 +90,14 @@ func (u *MembershipUpdater) IsKnock() bool {
 	return u.oldMembership == tables.MembershipStateKnock
 }
 
-func (u *MembershipUpdater) Update(event *gomatrixserverlib.Event) (bool, []string, error) {
+func (u *MembershipUpdater) Update(newMembership tables.MembershipState, event *gomatrixserverlib.Event) (bool, []string, error) {
 	var inserted bool
 	var retired []string
 	return inserted, retired, u.d.Writer.Do(u.d.DB, u.txn, func(txn *sql.Tx) error {
-		membership, err := event.Membership()
-		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("event.Membership: %w", err)
-		}
 		senderUserNID, err := u.d.assignStateKeyNID(u.ctx, event.Sender())
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("u.d.AssignStateKeyNID: %w", err)
 		}
-		var newMembership tables.MembershipState
-		switch membership {
-		case gomatrixserverlib.Join:
-			newMembership = tables.MembershipStateJoin
-		case gomatrixserverlib.Leave, gomatrixserverlib.Ban:
-			newMembership = tables.MembershipStateLeaveOrBan
-		case gomatrixserverlib.Invite:
-			newMembership = tables.MembershipStateInvite
-		case gomatrixserverlib.Knock:
-			newMembership = tables.MembershipStateKnock
-		default:
-			return fmt.Errorf("unrecognised membership %q", membership)
-		}
 		eventID := event.EventID()
 		eventNIDs, err := u.d.eventNIDs(u.ctx, u.txn, []string{eventID}, false)
 		if err != nil {