diff --git a/src/actions/MatrixActionCreators.js b/src/actions/MatrixActionCreators.js
index 86d4a3456c..0f02e7730e 100644
--- a/src/actions/MatrixActionCreators.js
+++ b/src/actions/MatrixActionCreators.js
@@ -14,7 +14,10 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-import { createMatrixActionCreator } from './actionCreators';
+import {
+    createMatrixActionCreator,
+    createMatrixSyncActionCreator,
+} from './actionCreators';
 
 // Events emitted from the matrixClient that we want to dispatch as actions
 // via MatrixActionCreators. See createMatrixActionCreator.
@@ -30,6 +33,8 @@ export default {
         this.actionCreators = REGISTERED_EVENTS.map((eventId) =>
             createMatrixActionCreator(matrixClient, eventId),
         );
+        this.actionCreators.push(createMatrixSyncActionCreator(matrixClient));
+
         this.actionCreatorsStop = this.actionCreators.map((ac) => ac());
     },
 
diff --git a/src/actions/actionCreators.js b/src/actions/actionCreators.js
index d3c626c64c..60ff368fc8 100644
--- a/src/actions/actionCreators.js
+++ b/src/actions/actionCreators.js
@@ -70,3 +70,36 @@ export function createMatrixActionCreator(matrixClient, eventId) {
         };
     };
 }
+
+// TODO: migrate from sync_state to MatrixSync so that more js-sdk events
+//       become dispatches in the same place.
+/**
+ * Create an action creator that will listen to `sync` events emitted
+ * by matrixClient and dispatch a corresponding MatrixSync action. E.g:
+ *     {
+ *         action: 'MatrixSync',
+ *         state: 'SYNCING',
+ *         prevState: 'PREPARED'
+ *     }
+ * @param {MatrixClient} matrixClient the matrix client with which to register
+ *                                    a listener.
+ * @returns {function} a function that, when called, will begin to listen to
+ *                     dispatches from matrixClient. The result from that
+ *                     function can be called to stop listening.
+ */
+export function createMatrixSyncActionCreator(matrixClient) {
+    const listener = (state, prevState) => {
+        dis.dispatch({
+            action: 'MatrixSync',
+            state,
+            prevState,
+            matrixClient,
+        });
+    };
+    return () => {
+        matrixClient.on('sync', listener);
+        return () => {
+            matrixClient.removeListener('sync', listener);
+        };
+    };
+}
diff --git a/src/components/structures/TagPanel.js b/src/components/structures/TagPanel.js
index 127a220b26..88bb39406e 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/TagPanel.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/TagPanel.js
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ const TagPanel = React.createClass({
                 return;
             }
 
-            const orderedTags = TagOrderStore.getOrderedTags() || TagOrderStore.getAllTags();
+            const orderedTags = TagOrderStore.getOrderedTags();
             const orderedGroupTags = orderedTags.filter((t) => t[0] === '+');
             Promise.all(orderedGroupTags.map(
                 (groupId) => FlairStore.getGroupProfileCached(this.context.matrixClient, groupId),
diff --git a/src/stores/TagOrderStore.js b/src/stores/TagOrderStore.js
index 960839fa06..9741d59d4e 100644
--- a/src/stores/TagOrderStore.js
+++ b/src/stores/TagOrderStore.js
@@ -18,7 +18,9 @@ import dis from '../dispatcher';
 
 const INITIAL_STATE = {
     orderedTags: null,
-    allTags: null,
+    orderedTagsAccountData: null,
+    hasSynced: false,
+    joinedGroupIds: null,
 };
 
 /**
@@ -39,25 +41,42 @@ class TagOrderStore extends Store {
 
     __onDispatch(payload) {
         switch (payload.action) {
+            // Initialise state after initial sync
+            case 'MatrixSync': {
+                if (!(payload.prevState === 'PREPARED' && payload.state === 'SYNCING')) {
+                    break;
+                }
+                const tagOrderingEvent = payload.matrixClient.getAccountData('im.vector.web.tag_ordering');
+                const tagOrderingEventContent = tagOrderingEvent ? tagOrderingEvent.getContent() : {};
+                this._setState({
+                    orderedTagsAccountData: tagOrderingEventContent.tags || null,
+                    hasSynced: true,
+                });
+                this._updateOrderedTags();
+                break;
+            }
             // Get ordering from account data
             case 'MatrixActions.accountData': {
                 if (payload.event_type !== 'im.vector.web.tag_ordering') break;
                 this._setState({
-                    orderedTags: payload.event_content ? payload.event_content.tags : null,
+                    orderedTagsAccountData: payload.event_content ? payload.event_content.tags : null,
                 });
+                this._updateOrderedTags();
                 break;
             }
             // Initialise the state such that if account data is unset, default to joined groups
             case 'GroupActions.fetchJoinedGroups.success':
                 this._setState({
-                    allTags: payload.result.groups.sort(), // Sort lexically
+                    joinedGroupIds: payload.result.groups.sort(), // Sort lexically
+                    hasFetchedJoinedGroups: true,
                 });
+                this._updateOrderedTags();
             break;
             // Puts payload.tag at payload.targetTag, placing the targetTag before or after the tag
             case 'order_tag': {
                 if (!payload.tag || !payload.targetTag || payload.tag === payload.targetTag) return;
 
-                const tags = this._state.orderedTags || this._state.allTags;
+                const tags = this._state.orderedTags;
 
                 let orderedTags = tags.filter((t) => t !== payload.tag);
                 const newIndex = orderedTags.indexOf(payload.targetTag) + (payload.after ? 1 : 0);
@@ -72,12 +91,15 @@ class TagOrderStore extends Store {
         }
     }
 
-    getOrderedTags() {
-        return this._state.orderedTags;
+    _updateOrderedTags() {
+        this._setState({
+            orderedTags: this._state.hasSynced && this._state.hasFetchedJoinedGroups ?
+                this._state.orderedTagsAccountData || this._state.joinedGroupIds : [],
+        });
     }
 
-    getAllTags() {
-        return this._state.allTags;
+    getOrderedTags() {
+        return this._state.orderedTags;
     }
 }