diff --git a/src/matrix/room/Room.js b/src/matrix/room/Room.js
index 891e9dfe..9ea34381 100644
--- a/src/matrix/room/Room.js
+++ b/src/matrix/room/Room.js
@@ -191,8 +191,9 @@ export class Room extends EventEmitter {
 
         let decryptPreparation;
         if (roomEncryption) {
-            const events = roomResponse?.timeline?.events;
-            if (Array.isArray(events)) {
+            // also look for events in timeline here
+            let events = roomResponse?.timeline?.events || [];
+            if (events.length) {
                 const eventsToDecrypt = events.filter(event => {
                     return event?.type === EVENT_ENCRYPTED_TYPE;
                 });
diff --git a/src/matrix/room/timeline/persistence/SyncWriter.js b/src/matrix/room/timeline/persistence/SyncWriter.js
index bb0da2ea..b12f52a7 100644
--- a/src/matrix/room/timeline/persistence/SyncWriter.js
+++ b/src/matrix/room/timeline/persistence/SyncWriter.js
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ export class SyncWriter {
     }
 
     async _writeTimeline(entries, timeline, currentKey, memberChanges, txn, log) {
-        if (Array.isArray(timeline.events) && timeline.events.length) {
+        if (Array.isArray(timeline?.events) && timeline.events.length) {
             // only create a fragment when we will really write an event
             currentKey = await this._ensureLiveFragment(currentKey, entries, timeline, txn, log);
             const events = deduplicateEvents(timeline.events);