diff --git a/src/components/views/dialogs/AddressPickerDialog.js b/src/components/views/dialogs/AddressPickerDialog.js
index c72510cbe7..4610388afc 100644
--- a/src/components/views/dialogs/AddressPickerDialog.js
+++ b/src/components/views/dialogs/AddressPickerDialog.js
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
             address: addressText,
             isKnown: false,
         };
-        if (addrType == null) {
+        if (!this.props.validAddressTypes.includes(addrType)) {
             this.setState({ error: true });
             return null;
         } else if (addrType == 'mx-user-id') {
@@ -517,8 +517,21 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         let error;
         let addressSelector;
         if (this.state.error) {
+            let tryUsing = '';
+            const validTypeDescriptions = this.props.validAddressTypes.map((t) => {
+                return {
+                    'mx-user-id': _t("Matrix ID"),
+                    'mx-room-id': _t("Matrix Room ID"),
+                    'email': _t("email address"),
+                }[t];
+            });
+            tryUsing = _t("Try using one of the following valid address types: %(validTypesList)s.", {
+                validTypesList: validTypeDescriptions.join(", "),
+            });
             error = <div className="mx_ChatInviteDialog_error">
-                {_t("You have entered an invalid contact. Try using their Matrix ID or email address.")}
+                {_t("You have entered an invalid address.")}
+                <br />
+                {tryUsing}
             </div>;
         } else if (this.state.searchError) {
             error = <div className="mx_ChatInviteDialog_error">{this.state.searchError}</div>;
diff --git a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
index 09b3f045df..a4219d7467 100644
--- a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
+++ b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
@@ -891,5 +891,10 @@
     "Unpublish": "Unpublish",
     "This group is published on your profile": "This group is published on your profile",
     "Publish": "Publish",
-    "This group is not published on your profile": "This group is not published on your profile"
+    "This group is not published on your profile": "This group is not published on your profile",
+    "Matrix ID": "Matrix ID",
+    "Matrix Room ID": "Matrix Room ID",
+    "email address": "email address",
+    "Try using one of the following valid address types: %(validTypesList)s.": "Try using one of the following valid address types: %(validTypesList)s.",
+    "You have entered an invalid address.": "You have entered an invalid address."
 }