diff --git a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
index 14273fc95f..f9af4801dc 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
@@ -117,6 +117,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
             guestsCanJoin: false,
             canPeek: false,
             showApps: false,
+            isPeeking: false,
 
             // error object, as from the matrix client/server API
             // If we failed to load information about the room,
@@ -266,6 +267,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                 console.log("Attempting to peek into room %s", roomId);
                 this.setState({
                     peekLoading: true,
+                    isPeeking: true, // this will change to false if peeking fails
                 });
                 MatrixClientPeg.get().peekInRoom(roomId).then((room) => {
                     this.setState({
@@ -290,6 +292,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         } else if (room) {
             // Stop peeking because we have joined this room previously
             MatrixClientPeg.get().stopPeeking();
+            this.setState({isPeeking: false});
         }
     },
 
@@ -1728,8 +1731,8 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
             <TimelinePanel ref={this._gatherTimelinePanelRef}
                 timelineSet={this.state.room.getUnfilteredTimelineSet()}
                 showReadReceipts={!UserSettingsStore.getSyncedSetting('hideReadReceipts', false)}
-                manageReadReceipts={true}
-                manageReadMarkers={true}
+                manageReadReceipts={!this.state.isPeeking}
+                manageReadMarkers={!this.state.isPeeking}
                 hidden={hideMessagePanel}
                 highlightedEventId={highlightedEventId}
                 eventId={this.state.initialEventId}