diff --git a/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.js b/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.js
index 08b7866b1c..255f7c9b92 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.js
@@ -999,9 +999,12 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         var rooms = MatrixClientPeg.get().getRooms();
         for (var i = 0; i < rooms.length; ++i) {
             if (rooms[i].hasMembershipState(MatrixClientPeg.get().credentials.userId, 'invite')) {
-                ++notifCount;
+                notifCount++;
             } else if (rooms[i].getUnreadNotificationCount()) {
-                notifCount += rooms[i].getUnreadNotificationCount();
+                // if we were summing unread notifs:
+                // notifCount += rooms[i].getUnreadNotificationCount();
+                // instead, we just count the number of rooms with notifs.
+                notifCount++;
             }
         }
         try {
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/RoomTile.js b/src/components/views/rooms/RoomTile.js
index 69a945df33..55971cdd60 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/RoomTile.js
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/RoomTile.js
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         name = name.replace(":", ":\u200b"); // add a zero-width space to allow linewrapping after the colon
         var badge;
         if (this.props.highlight || notificationCount > 0) {
-            badge = <div className="mx_RoomTile_badge"/>;
+            badge = <div className="mx_RoomTile_badge">{ notificationCount ? notificationCount : '!' }</div>;
         }
         /*
         if (this.props.highlight) {
@@ -132,9 +132,9 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
             <div className={classes} onClick={this.onClick} onMouseEnter={this.onMouseEnter} onMouseLeave={this.onMouseLeave}>
                 <div className="mx_RoomTile_avatar">
                     <RoomAvatar room={this.props.room} width={24} height={24} />
-                    { badge }
                 </div>
                 { label }
+                { badge }
                 { incomingCallBox }
             </div>
         ));