diff --git a/event.go b/event.go
index 9d605abf..147c912d 100644
--- a/event.go
+++ b/event.go
@@ -65,8 +65,10 @@ const (
 )
 
 func checkID(id, kind string, sigil byte) (err error) {
-	if _, err = domainFromID(id); err != nil {
-		return
+	if kind == "room" {
+		if _, err = spec.ParseAndValidateRoomID(id); err != nil {
+			return
+		}
 	}
 	if id[0] != sigil {
 		err = fmt.Errorf(
diff --git a/spec/roomid.go b/spec/roomid.go
index 332db30f..a2f8340e 100644
--- a/spec/roomid.go
+++ b/spec/roomid.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ type RoomID struct {
 }
 
 func NewRoomID(id string) (*RoomID, error) {
-	return parseAndValidateRoomID(id)
+	return ParseAndValidateRoomID(id)
 }
 
 // Returns the full roomID string including leading sigil
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func (room RoomID) Domain() ServerName {
 	return ServerName(room.domain)
 }
 
-func parseAndValidateRoomID(id string) (*RoomID, error) {
+func ParseAndValidateRoomID(id string) (*RoomID, error) {
 	idLength := len(id)
 	if idLength < 4 { // 4 since minimum roomID includes an !, :, non-empty opaque ID, non-empty domain
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("length %d is too short to be valid", idLength)