diff --git a/lib/src/Client.dart b/lib/src/Client.dart
index 9698c46e..38fdc14e 100644
--- a/lib/src/Client.dart
+++ b/lib/src/Client.dart
@@ -219,6 +219,17 @@ class Client {
         type: HTTPType.POST, action: "/client/r0/join/$id");
   }
 
+  /// Loads the contact list for this user excluding the user itself.
+  /// Currently the contacts are found by discovering the contacts of
+  /// the famedlyContactDiscovery room, which is
+  /// defined by the autojoin room feature in Synapse.
+  Future<List<User>> loadFamedlyContacts() async {
+    Room contactDiscoveryRoom = await store
+        .getRoomByAlias("#famedlyContactDiscovery:${userID.split(":")[1]}");
+    List<User> contacts = await contactDiscoveryRoom.requestParticipants();
+    return contacts;
+  }
+
   /// Creates a new group chat and invites the given Users and returns the new
   /// created room ID.
   Future<String> createGroup(List<User> users) async {
diff --git a/lib/src/Connection.dart b/lib/src/Connection.dart
index a6be6bad..479daaa9 100644
--- a/lib/src/Connection.dart
+++ b/lib/src/Connection.dart
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ class Connection {
   String get _syncFilters => '{"room":{"state":{"lazy_load_members":true}}}';
 
   String get _firstSyncFilters =>
-      '{"room":{"include_leave":true,"state":{"lazy_load_members":false}}}';
+      '{"room":{"include_leave":true,"state":{"lazy_load_members":true}}}';
 
   /// Handles the connection to the Matrix Homeserver. You can change this to a
   /// MockClient for testing.
diff --git a/lib/src/Store.dart b/lib/src/Store.dart
index df628a68..45b3a28d 100644
--- a/lib/src/Store.dart
+++ b/lib/src/Store.dart
@@ -458,6 +458,7 @@ class Store {
 
   /// Loads all Users in the database to provide a contact list
   /// except users who are in the Room with the ID [exceptRoomID].
+  @deprecated
   Future<List<User>> loadContacts({String exceptRoomID = ""}) async {
     List<Map<String, dynamic>> res = await db.rawQuery(
         "SELECT * FROM Users WHERE matrix_id!=? AND chat_id!=? GROUP BY matrix_id ORDER BY displayname",
@@ -549,6 +550,14 @@ class Store {
     return Room.getRoomFromTableRow(res[0], client);
   }
 
+  /// Returns a room without events and participants.
+  Future<Room> getRoomByAlias(String alias) async {
+    List<Map<String, dynamic>> res = await db
+        .rawQuery("SELECT * FROM Rooms WHERE canonical_alias=?", [alias]);
+    if (res.length != 1) return null;
+    return Room.getRoomFromTableRow(res[0], client);
+  }
+
   /// Calculates and returns an avatar for a direct chat by a given [roomID].
   Future<String> getAvatarFromSingleChat(String roomID) async {
     String avatarStr = "";
@@ -592,7 +601,8 @@ class Store {
   /// the user [userID]. Returns null if there is none.
   Future<String> getDirectChatRoomID(String userID) async {
     List<Map<String, dynamic>> res = await db.rawQuery(
-        "SELECT id FROM Rooms WHERE direct_chat_matrix_id=?", [userID]);
+        "SELECT id FROM Rooms WHERE direct_chat_matrix_id=? AND membership!='leave' LIMIT 1",
+        [userID]);
     if (res.length != 1) return null;
     return res[0]["id"];
   }
diff --git a/pubspec.lock b/pubspec.lock
index 609ce879..ef602ebe 100644
--- a/pubspec.lock
+++ b/pubspec.lock
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ packages:
       name: boolean_selector
       url: "https://pub.dartlang.org"
     source: hosted
-    version: "1.0.5"
+    version: "1.0.4"
   build:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ packages:
       name: pedantic
       url: "https://pub.dartlang.org"
     source: hosted
-    version: "1.8.0+1"
+    version: "1.7.0"
   pool:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
diff --git a/test/FakeMatrixApi.dart b/test/FakeMatrixApi.dart
index 41510a7b..58a93801 100644
--- a/test/FakeMatrixApi.dart
+++ b/test/FakeMatrixApi.dart
@@ -309,7 +309,7 @@ class FakeMatrixApi extends MockClient {
               ]
             }
           },
-      "/client/r0/sync?filter=%7B%22room%22:%7B%22include_leave%22:true,%22state%22:%7B%22lazy_load_members%22:false%7D%7D%7D":
+      "/client/r0/sync?filter=%7B%22room%22:%7B%22include_leave%22:true,%22state%22:%7B%22lazy_load_members%22:true%7D%7D%7D":
           (var req) => {
                 "next_batch": Random().nextDouble().toString(),
                 "presence": {