diff --git a/src/MatrixClientPeg.js b/src/MatrixClientPeg.js
index a6012f5213..fdd06b38c3 100644
--- a/src/MatrixClientPeg.js
+++ b/src/MatrixClientPeg.js
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import EventTimeline from 'matrix-js-sdk/lib/models/event-timeline';
 import EventTimelineSet from 'matrix-js-sdk/lib/models/event-timeline-set';
 import createMatrixClient from './utils/createMatrixClient';
 import SettingsStore from './settings/SettingsStore';
+import MatrixActionCreators from './actions/MatrixActionCreators';
 
 interface MatrixClientCreds {
     homeserverUrl: string,
@@ -68,6 +69,8 @@ class MatrixClientPeg {
 
     unset() {
         this.matrixClient = null;
+
+        MatrixActionCreators.stop();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -108,6 +111,9 @@ class MatrixClientPeg {
         // regardless of errors, start the client. If we did error out, we'll
         // just end up doing a full initial /sync.
 
+        // Connect the matrix client to the dispatcher
+        MatrixActionCreators.start(this.matrixClient);
+
         console.log(`MatrixClientPeg: really starting MatrixClient`);
         this.get().startClient(opts);
         console.log(`MatrixClientPeg: MatrixClient started`);
diff --git a/src/actions/GroupActions.js b/src/actions/GroupActions.js
index 30249f846c..da321af18b 100644
--- a/src/actions/GroupActions.js
+++ b/src/actions/GroupActions.js
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-
 import { createPromiseActionCreator } from './actionCreators';
 
 const GroupActions = {};
diff --git a/src/actions/MatrixActionCreators.js b/src/actions/MatrixActionCreators.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..86d4a3456c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/actions/MatrixActionCreators.js
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2017 Vector Creations Ltd
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+import { createMatrixActionCreator } from './actionCreators';
+
+// Events emitted from the matrixClient that we want to dispatch as actions
+// via MatrixActionCreators. See createMatrixActionCreator.
+const REGISTERED_EVENTS = [
+    "accountData",
+];
+
+export default {
+    actionCreators: [],
+    actionCreatorsStop: [],
+
+    start(matrixClient) {
+        this.actionCreators = REGISTERED_EVENTS.map((eventId) =>
+            createMatrixActionCreator(matrixClient, eventId),
+        );
+        this.actionCreatorsStop = this.actionCreators.map((ac) => ac());
+    },
+
+    stop() {
+        this.actionCreatorsStop.map((stop) => stop());
+    },
+};
diff --git a/src/actions/actionCreators.js b/src/actions/actionCreators.js
index c4e20a0a3f..5b2c25d023 100644
--- a/src/actions/actionCreators.js
+++ b/src/actions/actionCreators.js
@@ -16,6 +16,16 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 import dis from '../dispatcher';
 
+/**
+ * Create an action creator that will dispatch actions asynchronously that
+ * indicate the current status of promise returned by the given function, fn.
+ * @param {string} id the id to give the dispatched actions. This is given a
+ *                   suffix determining whether it is pending, successful or
+ *                   a failure.
+ * @param {function} fn the function to call with arguments given to the
+ *                   returned function. This function should return a Promise.
+ * @returns a function that dispatches asynchronous actions when called.
+ */
 export function createPromiseActionCreator(id, fn) {
     return (...args) => {
         dis.dispatch({action: id + '.pending'});
@@ -26,3 +36,37 @@ export function createPromiseActionCreator(id, fn) {
         })
     }
 }
+
+/**
+ * Create an action creator that will listen to events of type eventId emitted
+ * by matrixClient and dispatch a corresponding action of the following shape:
+ *     {
+ *         action: 'MatrixActions.' + eventId,
+ *         event: matrixEvent,
+ *         event_type: matrixEvent.getType(),
+ *         event_content: matrixEvent.getContent(),
+ *     }
+ * @param matrixClient{MatrixClient} the matrix client with which to register
+ *                                   a listener.
+ * @param eventId{string} the ID of the event that hen emitted will cause the
+ *                        an action to be dispatched.
+ * @returns a function that, when called, will begin to listen to dispatches
+ *          from matrixClient. The result from that function can be called to
+ *          stop listening.
+ */
+export function createMatrixActionCreator(matrixClient, eventId) {
+    const listener = (matrixEvent) => {
+        dis.dispatch({
+            action: 'MatrixActions.' + eventId,
+            event: matrixEvent,
+            event_type: matrixEvent.getType(),
+            event_content: matrixEvent.getContent(),
+        });
+    };
+    return () => {
+        matrixClient.on(eventId, listener);
+        return () => {
+            matrixClient.removeListener(listener);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/stores/TagOrderStore.js b/src/stores/TagOrderStore.js
index 885eaafb38..a5eae3806e 100644
--- a/src/stores/TagOrderStore.js
+++ b/src/stores/TagOrderStore.js
@@ -41,17 +41,14 @@ class TagOrderStore extends Store {
 
     __onDispatch(payload) {
         switch (payload.action) {
-            // Get ordering from account data, once the client has synced
-            case 'sync_state':
-                if (payload.prevState === "PREPARED" && payload.state === "SYNCING") {
-                    const accountDataEvent = MatrixClientPeg.get().getAccountData('im.vector.web.tag_ordering');
-
-                    const orderedTags = accountDataEvent && accountDataEvent.getContent() ?
-                        accountDataEvent.getContent().tags : null;
-
-                    this._setState({orderedTags});
-                }
-            break;
+            // Get ordering from account data
+            case 'MatrixActions.accountData': {
+                if (payload.event_type !== 'im.vector.web.tag_ordering') break;
+                this._setState({
+                    orderedTags: payload.event_content ? payload.event_content.tags : null,
+                });
+                break;
+            }
             // Initialise the state such that if account data is unset, default to joined groups
             case 'GroupActions.fetchJoinedGroups.success':
                 this._setState({