diff --git a/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.tsx b/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.tsx
index 3929711406..e553057acb 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.tsx
+++ b/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.tsx
@@ -623,7 +623,7 @@ export default class MatrixChat extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState> {
                 break;
             }
             case 'view_create_room':
-                this.createRoom();
+                this.createRoom(payload.public);
                 break;
             case 'view_create_group': {
                 const CreateGroupDialog = sdk.getComponent("dialogs.CreateGroupDialog");
@@ -1012,9 +1012,9 @@ export default class MatrixChat extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState> {
         }).close;
     }
 
-    private async createRoom() {
+    private async createRoom(defaultPublic = false) {
         const CreateRoomDialog = sdk.getComponent('dialogs.CreateRoomDialog');
-        const modal = Modal.createTrackedDialog('Create Room', '', CreateRoomDialog);
+        const modal = Modal.createTrackedDialog('Create Room', '', CreateRoomDialog, { defaultPublic });
 
         const [shouldCreate, opts] = await modal.finished;
         if (shouldCreate) {
diff --git a/src/components/structures/RoomDirectory.js b/src/components/structures/RoomDirectory.js
index 0b07c10c8a..86353cd532 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RoomDirectory.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/RoomDirectory.js
@@ -367,7 +367,10 @@ export default createReactClass({
 
     onCreateRoomClick: function(room) {
         this.props.onFinished();
-        dis.dispatch({action: 'view_create_room'});
+        dis.dispatch({
+            action: 'view_create_room',
+            public: true,
+        });
     },
 
     showRoomAlias: function(alias, autoJoin=false) {
diff --git a/src/components/views/dialogs/CreateRoomDialog.js b/src/components/views/dialogs/CreateRoomDialog.js
index 74e006354b..fb08afa5f7 100644
--- a/src/components/views/dialogs/CreateRoomDialog.js
+++ b/src/components/views/dialogs/CreateRoomDialog.js
@@ -30,12 +30,13 @@ export default createReactClass({
     displayName: 'CreateRoomDialog',
     propTypes: {
         onFinished: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+        defaultPublic: PropTypes.bool,
     },
 
     getInitialState() {
         const config = SdkConfig.get();
         return {
-            isPublic: false,
+            isPublic: this.props.defaultPublic || false,
             isEncrypted: true,
             name: "",
             topic: "",