diff --git a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/appservice/appservice.go b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/appservice/appservice.go
index 5d2fc085..3c3bd59a 100644
--- a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/appservice/appservice.go
+++ b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/appservice/appservice.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ package appservice
 import (
 	"context"
 	"net/http"
+	"strconv"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
@@ -132,3 +133,22 @@ func generateAppServiceAccount(
 	_, err = deviceDB.CreateDevice(ctx, as.SenderLocalpart, nil, as.ASToken, &as.SenderLocalpart)
 	return err
 }
+
+// ParseTSParam takes a req from an application service and parses a Time object
+// from the req if it exists in the query parameters. If it doesn't exist, the
+// current time is returned.
+func ParseTSParam(req *http.Request) time.Time {
+	// Use the ts parameter's value for event time if present
+	tsStr := req.URL.Query().Get("ts")
+	if tsStr == "" {
+		return time.Now()
+	}
+
+	// The parameter exists, parse into a Time object
+	ts, err := strconv.ParseInt(tsStr, 10, 64)
+	if err != nil {
+		return time.Unix(ts/1000, 0)
+	}
+
+	return time.Unix(ts/1000, 0)
+}
diff --git a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/routing/joinroom.go b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/routing/joinroom.go
index 84c1f24c..a209fe6c 100644
--- a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/routing/joinroom.go
+++ b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/routing/joinroom.go
@@ -214,7 +214,8 @@ func (r joinRoomReq) joinRoomUsingServers(
 	}
 
 	var queryRes roomserverAPI.QueryLatestEventsAndStateResponse
-	event, err := common.BuildEvent(r.req, &eb, r.cfg, r.queryAPI, &queryRes)
+	eventTime := appservice.ParseTSParam(r.req)
+	event, err := common.BuildEvent(r.req.Context(), eventTime, &eb, r.cfg, r.queryAPI, &queryRes)
 	if err == nil {
 		if _, err = r.producer.SendEvents(r.req.Context(), []gomatrixserverlib.Event{*event}, r.cfg.Matrix.ServerName, nil); err != nil {
 			return httputil.LogThenError(r.req, err)
diff --git a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/routing/membership.go b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/routing/membership.go
index cf4d075e..285dae67 100644
--- a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/routing/membership.go
+++ b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/routing/membership.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"net/http"
 
+	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/appservice"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/auth/authtypes"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/auth/storage/accounts"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/httputil"
@@ -147,7 +148,8 @@ func buildMembershipEvent(
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	return common.BuildEvent(req, &builder, cfg, queryAPI, nil)
+	eventTime := appservice.ParseTSParam(r.req)
+	return common.BuildEvent(req.Context(), eventTime, &builder, cfg, queryAPI, nil)
 }
 
 // loadProfile lookups the profile of a given user from the database and returns
diff --git a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/routing/profile.go b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/routing/profile.go
index 35b7226a..f61e1673 100644
--- a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/routing/profile.go
+++ b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/routing/profile.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	"database/sql"
 	"net/http"
 
+	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/appservice"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/auth/authtypes"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/auth/storage/accounts"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/httputil"
@@ -284,7 +285,8 @@ func buildMembershipEvents(
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
-		event, err := common.BuildEvent(req, &builder, *cfg, queryAPI, nil)
+		eventTime := appservice.ParseTSParam(req)
+		event, err := common.BuildEvent(req.Context(), eventTime, &builder, *cfg, queryAPI, nil)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
diff --git a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/events.go b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/events.go
index 41022c7c..70729a31 100644
--- a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/events.go
+++ b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/events.go
@@ -18,8 +18,6 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"net/http"
-	"strconv"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/config"
@@ -40,7 +38,8 @@ var ErrRoomNoExists = errors.New("Room does not exist")
 // the room doesn't exist
 // Returns an error if something else went wrong
 func BuildEvent(
-	req *http.Request,
+	ctx context.Context,
+	eventTime time.Time,
 	builder *gomatrixserverlib.EventBuilder, cfg config.Dendrite,
 	queryAPI api.RoomserverQueryAPI, queryRes *api.QueryLatestEventsAndStateResponse,
 ) (*gomatrixserverlib.Event, error) {
@@ -50,7 +49,6 @@ func BuildEvent(
 	}
 
 	eventID := fmt.Sprintf("$%s:%s", util.RandomString(16), cfg.Matrix.ServerName)
-	eventTime := ParseTSParam(req)
 	event, err := builder.Build(eventID, eventTime, cfg.Matrix.ServerName, cfg.Matrix.KeyID, cfg.Matrix.PrivateKey)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -59,25 +57,6 @@ func BuildEvent(
 	return &event, nil
 }
 
-// ParseTSParam takes a req from an application service and parses a Time object
-// from the req if it exists in the query parameters. If it doesn't exist, the
-// current time is returned.
-func ParseTSParam(req *http.Request) time.Time {
-	// Use the ts parameter's value for event time if present
-	tsStr := req.URL.Query().Get("ts")
-	if tsStr == "" {
-		return time.Now()
-	}
-
-	// The parameter exists, parse into a Time object
-	ts, err := strconv.ParseInt(tsStr, 10, 64)
-	if err != nil {
-		return time.Unix(ts/1000, 0)
-	}
-
-	return time.Unix(ts/1000, 0)
-}
-
 // AddPrevEventsToEvent fills out the prev_events and auth_events fields in builder
 func AddPrevEventsToEvent(
 	ctx context.Context,