diff --git a/src/components/views/settings/tabs/user/PreferencesUserSettingsTab.tsx b/src/components/views/settings/tabs/user/PreferencesUserSettingsTab.tsx
index 27758a5205..74cdc2ea2d 100644
--- a/src/components/views/settings/tabs/user/PreferencesUserSettingsTab.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/settings/tabs/user/PreferencesUserSettingsTab.tsx
@@ -285,8 +285,16 @@ export default class PreferencesUserSettingsTab extends React.Component<IProps,
         SettingsStore.setValue("readMarkerOutOfViewThresholdMs", null, SettingLevel.DEVICE, e.target.value);
     };
 
-    private renderGroup(settingIds: string[], level = SettingLevel.ACCOUNT): React.ReactNodeArray {
-        return settingIds.filter(SettingsStore.isEnabled).map(i => {
+    private renderGroup(
+        settingIds: string[],
+        level = SettingLevel.ACCOUNT,
+        includeDisabled = false,
+    ): React.ReactNodeArray {
+        if (!includeDisabled) {
+            settingIds = settingIds.filter(SettingsStore.isEnabled);
+        }
+
+        return settingIds.map(i => {
             return <SettingsFlag key={i} name={i} level={level} />;
         });
     }
@@ -333,10 +341,10 @@ export default class PreferencesUserSettingsTab extends React.Component<IProps,
                     { this.renderGroup(PreferencesUserSettingsTab.ROOM_LIST_SETTINGS) }
                 </div>
 
-                { SpaceStore.spacesEnabled && <div className="mx_SettingsTab_section">
+                <div className="mx_SettingsTab_section">
                     <span className="mx_SettingsTab_subheading">{ _t("Spaces") }</span>
-                    { this.renderGroup(PreferencesUserSettingsTab.SPACES_SETTINGS) }
-                </div> }
+                    { this.renderGroup(PreferencesUserSettingsTab.SPACES_SETTINGS, SettingLevel.ACCOUNT, true) }
+                </div>
 
                 <div className="mx_SettingsTab_section">
                     <span className="mx_SettingsTab_subheading">{ _t("Communities") }</span>
diff --git a/src/settings/Settings.tsx b/src/settings/Settings.tsx
index 9d4592e5d7..419139c4e7 100644
--- a/src/settings/Settings.tsx
+++ b/src/settings/Settings.tsx
@@ -729,6 +729,7 @@ export const SETTINGS: {[setting: string]: ISetting} = {
         description: _td("All rooms you're in will appear in Home."),
         supportedLevels: LEVELS_ACCOUNT_SETTINGS,
         default: false,
+        controller: new IncompatibleController("showCommunitiesInsteadOfSpaces", null),
     },
     "showCommunitiesInsteadOfSpaces": {
         displayName: _td("Display Communities instead of Spaces"),
diff --git a/src/settings/SettingsStore.ts b/src/settings/SettingsStore.ts
index c5b83cbcd0..9487feff5e 100644
--- a/src/settings/SettingsStore.ts
+++ b/src/settings/SettingsStore.ts
@@ -467,6 +467,10 @@ export default class SettingsStore {
             throw new Error("Setting '" + settingName + "' does not appear to be a setting.");
         }
 
+        if (!SettingsStore.isEnabled(settingName)) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
         // When non-beta features are specified in the config.json, we force them as enabled or disabled.
         if (SettingsStore.isFeature(settingName) && !SETTINGS[settingName]?.betaInfo) {
             const configVal = SettingsStore.getValueAt(SettingLevel.CONFIG, settingName, roomId, true, true);
diff --git a/src/settings/controllers/IncompatibleController.ts b/src/settings/controllers/IncompatibleController.ts
index 3a7d6ab7d7..aa064219f9 100644
--- a/src/settings/controllers/IncompatibleController.ts
+++ b/src/settings/controllers/IncompatibleController.ts
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ import SettingsStore from "../SettingsStore";
 export default class IncompatibleController extends SettingController {
     public constructor(
         private settingName: string,
-        private forcedValue = false,
+        private forcedValue: any = false,
         private incompatibleValue: any = true,
     ) {
         super();
@@ -44,6 +44,10 @@ export default class IncompatibleController extends SettingController {
         return null; // no override
     }
 
+    public get settingDisabled(): boolean {
+        return this.incompatibleSetting;
+    }
+
     public get incompatibleSetting(): boolean {
         return SettingsStore.getValue(this.settingName) === this.incompatibleValue;
     }