diff --git a/src/components/structures/auth/Registration.js b/src/components/structures/auth/Registration.js
index b19be60fbe..22dd8c0ea9 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/auth/Registration.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/auth/Registration.js
@@ -332,15 +332,9 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
             case "RegistrationForm.ERR_PASSWORD_LENGTH":
                 errMsg = _t('Password too short (min %(MIN_PASSWORD_LENGTH)s).', {MIN_PASSWORD_LENGTH});
                 break;
-            case "RegistrationForm.ERR_EMAIL_INVALID":
-                errMsg = _t('This doesn\'t look like a valid email address.');
-                break;
             case "RegistrationForm.ERR_PHONE_NUMBER_INVALID":
                 errMsg = _t('This doesn\'t look like a valid phone number.');
                 break;
-            case "RegistrationForm.ERR_MISSING_EMAIL":
-                errMsg = _t('An email address is required to register on this homeserver.');
-                break;
             case "RegistrationForm.ERR_MISSING_PHONE_NUMBER":
                 errMsg = _t('A phone number is required to register on this homeserver.');
                 break;
diff --git a/src/components/views/auth/RegistrationForm.js b/src/components/views/auth/RegistrationForm.js
index 1f30af3710..5f2a9a8dcc 100644
--- a/src/components/views/auth/RegistrationForm.js
+++ b/src/components/views/auth/RegistrationForm.js
@@ -91,7 +91,6 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         // onValidationChange once for each invalid field.
         // TODO: Remove these calls once converted to new-style validation.
         this.validateField(FIELD_PHONE_NUMBER, ev.type);
-        this.validateField(FIELD_EMAIL, ev.type);
         this.validateField(FIELD_PASSWORD_CONFIRM, ev.type);
         this.validateField(FIELD_PASSWORD, ev.type);
 
@@ -213,14 +212,6 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         // TODO: Remove rules here as they are converted to new-style validation
 
         switch (fieldID) {
-            case FIELD_EMAIL: {
-                const email = this.state.email;
-                const emailValid = email === '' || Email.looksValid(email);
-                if (this._authStepIsRequired('m.login.email.identity') && (!emailValid || email === '')) {
-                    this.markFieldError(fieldID, false, "RegistrationForm.ERR_MISSING_EMAIL");
-                } else this.markFieldError(fieldID, emailValid, "RegistrationForm.ERR_EMAIL_INVALID");
-                break;
-            }
             case FIELD_PHONE_NUMBER: {
                 const phoneNumber = this.state.phoneNumber;
                 const phoneNumberValid = phoneNumber === '' || phoneNumberLooksValid(phoneNumber);
@@ -295,16 +286,36 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         return cls;
     },
 
-    onEmailBlur(ev) {
-        this.validateField(FIELD_EMAIL, ev.type);
-    },
-
     onEmailChange(ev) {
         this.setState({
             email: ev.target.value,
         });
     },
 
+    onEmailValidate(fieldState) {
+        const result = this.validateEmailRules(fieldState);
+        this.markFieldValid(FIELD_EMAIL, result.valid);
+        return result;
+    },
+
+    validateEmailRules: withValidation({
+        description: () => _t("Use an email address to recover your account"),
+        rules: [
+            {
+                key: "required",
+                test: function({ value, allowEmpty }) {
+                    return allowEmpty || !this._authStepIsRequired('m.login.email.identity') || !!value;
+                },
+                invalid: () => _t("Enter email address (required on this homeserver)"),
+            },
+            {
+                key: "email",
+                test: ({ value }) => !value || Email.looksValid(value),
+                invalid: () => _t("Doesn't look like a valid email address"),
+            },
+        ],
+    }),
+
     onPasswordBlur(ev) {
         this.validateField(FIELD_PASSWORD, ev.type);
     },
@@ -394,6 +405,26 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         });
     },
 
+    renderEmail() {
+        if (!this._authStepIsUsed('m.login.email.identity')) {
+            return null;
+        }
+        const Field = sdk.getComponent('elements.Field');
+        const emailPlaceholder = this._authStepIsRequired('m.login.email.identity') ?
+            _t("Email") :
+            _t("Email (optional)");
+        return <Field
+            id="mx_RegistrationForm_email"
+            ref={field => this[FIELD_EMAIL] = field}
+            type="text"
+            label={emailPlaceholder}
+            defaultValue={this.props.defaultEmail}
+            value={this.state.email}
+            onChange={this.onEmailChange}
+            onValidate={this.onEmailValidate}
+        />;
+    },
+
     renderUsername() {
         const Field = sdk.getComponent('elements.Field');
         return <Field
@@ -437,26 +468,6 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
             </a>;
         }
 
-        let emailSection;
-        if (this._authStepIsUsed('m.login.email.identity')) {
-            const emailPlaceholder = this._authStepIsRequired('m.login.email.identity') ?
-                _t("Email") :
-                _t("Email (optional)");
-
-            emailSection = (
-                <Field
-                    className={this._classForField(FIELD_EMAIL)}
-                    id="mx_RegistrationForm_email"
-                    type="text"
-                    label={emailPlaceholder}
-                    defaultValue={this.props.defaultEmail}
-                    value={this.state.email}
-                    onBlur={this.onEmailBlur}
-                    onChange={this.onEmailChange}
-                />
-            );
-        }
-
         const threePidLogin = !SdkConfig.get().disable_3pid_login;
         const CountryDropdown = sdk.getComponent('views.auth.CountryDropdown');
         let phoneSection;
@@ -521,13 +532,11 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                         />
                     </div>
                     <div className="mx_AuthBody_fieldRow">
-                        { emailSection }
+                        {this.renderEmail()}
                         { phoneSection }
                     </div>
-                    {_t(
-                        "Use an email address to recover your account. Other users " +
-                        "can invite you to rooms using your contact details.",
-                    )}
+                    {_t("Use an email address to recover your account.") + " "}
+                    {_t("Other users can invite you to rooms using your contact details.")}
                     { registerButton }
                 </form>
             </div>
diff --git a/src/components/views/elements/Validation.js b/src/components/views/elements/Validation.js
index 8142dfcd65..458d000e0e 100644
--- a/src/components/views/elements/Validation.js
+++ b/src/components/views/elements/Validation.js
@@ -50,7 +50,10 @@ export default function withValidation({ description, rules }) {
                 if (!rule.key || !rule.test) {
                     continue;
                 }
-                const ruleValid = rule.test({ value, allowEmpty });
+                // We're setting `this` to whichever component hold the validation
+                // function. That allows rules to access the state of the component.
+                // eslint-disable-next-line babel/no-invalid-this
+                const ruleValid = rule.test.call(this, { value, allowEmpty });
                 valid = valid && ruleValid;
                 if (ruleValid && rule.valid) {
                     // If the rule's result is valid and has text to show for
@@ -101,10 +104,13 @@ export default function withValidation({ description, rules }) {
             summary = <div className="mx_Validation_description">{description()}</div>;
         }
 
-        const feedback = <div className="mx_Validation">
-            {summary}
-            {details}
-        </div>;
+        let feedback;
+        if (summary || details) {
+            feedback = <div className="mx_Validation">
+                {summary}
+                {details}
+            </div>;
+        }
 
         return {
             valid,
diff --git a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
index bafb516af7..d219b3a19a 100644
--- a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
+++ b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
@@ -1322,15 +1322,19 @@
     "Change": "Change",
     "Sign in with": "Sign in with",
     "If you don't specify an email address, you won't be able to reset your password. Are you sure?": "If you don't specify an email address, you won't be able to reset your password. Are you sure?",
+    "Use an email address to recover your account": "Use an email address to recover your account",
+    "Enter email address (required on this homeserver)": "Enter email address (required on this homeserver)",
+    "Doesn't look like a valid email address": "Doesn't look like a valid email address",
     "Use letters, numbers, dashes and underscores only": "Use letters, numbers, dashes and underscores only",
-    "Some characters not allowed": "Some characters not allowed",
     "Enter username": "Enter username",
+    "Some characters not allowed": "Some characters not allowed",
+    "Email (optional)": "Email (optional)",
     "Create your Matrix account": "Create your Matrix account",
     "Create your Matrix account on %(serverName)s": "Create your Matrix account on %(serverName)s",
-    "Email (optional)": "Email (optional)",
     "Phone (optional)": "Phone (optional)",
     "Confirm": "Confirm",
-    "Use an email address to recover your account. Other users can invite you to rooms using your contact details.": "Use an email address to recover your account. Other users can invite you to rooms using your contact details.",
+    "Use an email address to recover your account.": "Use an email address to recover your account.",
+    "Other users can invite you to rooms using your contact details.": "Other users can invite you to rooms using your contact details.",
     "Other servers": "Other servers",
     "Enter custom server URLs <a>What does this mean?</a>": "Enter custom server URLs <a>What does this mean?</a>",
     "Homeserver URL": "Homeserver URL",
@@ -1521,9 +1525,7 @@
     "Missing password.": "Missing password.",
     "Passwords don't match.": "Passwords don't match.",
     "Password too short (min %(MIN_PASSWORD_LENGTH)s).": "Password too short (min %(MIN_PASSWORD_LENGTH)s).",
-    "This doesn't look like a valid email address.": "This doesn't look like a valid email address.",
     "This doesn't look like a valid phone number.": "This doesn't look like a valid phone number.",
-    "An email address is required to register on this homeserver.": "An email address is required to register on this homeserver.",
     "A phone number is required to register on this homeserver.": "A phone number is required to register on this homeserver.",
     "An unknown error occurred.": "An unknown error occurred.",
     "Create your account": "Create your account",