diff --git a/src/libneochat/qml/ExploreRoomsPage.qml b/src/libneochat/qml/ExploreRoomsPage.qml
index cca7fa2df..a4e53b3f6 100644
--- a/src/libneochat/qml/ExploreRoomsPage.qml
+++ b/src/libneochat/qml/ExploreRoomsPage.qml
@@ -51,8 +51,16 @@ SearchPage {
     signal roomSelected(string roomId, string displayName, url avatarUrl, string alias, string topic, int memberCount, bool isJoined)
 
     title: i18nc("@action:title Explore public rooms and spaces", "Explore")
-    customPlaceholderText: publicRoomListModel.redirectedText
+    customPlaceholderText: {
+        if (publicRoomListModel.redirectedText.length > 0)
+            return publicRoomListModel.redirectedText;
+        if (publicRoomListModel.errorText.length > 0)
+            return publicRoomListModel.errorText;
+
+        return "";
+    }
     customPlaceholderIcon: "data-warning"
+    enableSearch: publicRoomListModel.errorText.length === 0
 
     Component.onCompleted: focusSearch()
 
@@ -63,6 +71,7 @@ SearchPage {
             display: QQC2.Button.IconOnly
             checkable: true
             text: i18nc("@action:button", "Only show spaces")
+            enabled: root.enableSearch
 
             QQC2.ToolTip.visible: hovered
             QQC2.ToolTip.text: text
@@ -96,7 +105,7 @@ SearchPage {
 
         activeFocusOnTab: false // We handle moving to this item via up/down arrows, otherwise the tab order is wacky
         text: i18n("Enter a Room Manually")
-        visible: publicRoomListModel.redirectedText.length === 0
+        visible: root.customPlaceholderText.length === 0
         icon.name: "compass"
         icon.width: Kirigami.Units.gridUnit * 2
         icon.height: Kirigami.Units.gridUnit * 2
diff --git a/src/libneochat/qml/SearchPage.qml b/src/libneochat/qml/SearchPage.qml
index 7a895abca..da01a7740 100644
--- a/src/libneochat/qml/SearchPage.qml
+++ b/src/libneochat/qml/SearchPage.qml
@@ -80,6 +80,11 @@ Kirigami.ScrollablePage {
      */
     property bool showSearchButton: true
 
+    /**
+     * @brief Enable the search controls like the text field and button.
+     */
+    property bool enableSearch: true
+
     /**
      * @brief Message to be shown in a custom placeholder.
      * The custom placeholder will be shown if the text is not empty
@@ -139,6 +144,7 @@ Kirigami.ScrollablePage {
             Kirigami.SearchField {
                 id: searchField
                 focus: true
+                enabled: root.enableSearch
                 Layout.fillWidth: true
                 Keys.onEnterPressed: searchButton.clicked()
                 Keys.onReturnPressed: searchButton.clicked()
@@ -158,6 +164,7 @@ Kirigami.ScrollablePage {
                 display: QQC2.Button.IconOnly
                 visible: root.showSearchButton
                 text: i18nc("@action:button", "Search")
+                enabled: root.enableSearch
 
                 onClicked: {
                     if (typeof root.model.search === 'function') {
@@ -173,7 +180,6 @@ Kirigami.ScrollablePage {
             Timer {
                 id: searchTimer
                 interval: 500
-                running: true
                 onTriggered: if (typeof root.model.search === 'function') {
                     root.model.search();
                 }
@@ -193,7 +199,7 @@ Kirigami.ScrollablePage {
             id: noSearchMessage
             icon.name: "search"
             anchors.centerIn: parent
-            visible: searchField.text.length === 0 && listView.count === 0 && customPlaceholder.text.length === 0
+            visible: searchField.text.length === 0 && listView.count === 0 && !root.model.searching && customPlaceholder.text.length === 0
             helpfulAction: root.noSearchHelpfulAction
         }
 
@@ -208,13 +214,13 @@ Kirigami.ScrollablePage {
         Kirigami.PlaceholderMessage {
             id: customPlaceholder
             anchors.centerIn: parent
-            visible: searchField.text.length > 0 && listView.count === 0 && !root.model.searching && text.length > 0
+            visible: listView.count === 0 && !root.model.searching && text.length > 0
             icon.name: root.customPlaceholderIcon
         }
 
         Kirigami.LoadingPlaceholder {
             anchors.centerIn: parent
-            visible: searchField.text.length > 0 && listView.count === 0 && (root.model.searching || searchTimer.running) && customPlaceholder.text.length === 0
+            visible: listView.count === 0 && (root.model.searching || searchTimer.running)
         }
 
         Keys.onUpPressed: {
diff --git a/src/rooms/models/publicroomlistmodel.cpp b/src/rooms/models/publicroomlistmodel.cpp
index 6bc828e52..e3b3d698b 100644
--- a/src/rooms/models/publicroomlistmodel.cpp
+++ b/src/rooms/models/publicroomlistmodel.cpp
@@ -172,6 +172,8 @@ void PublicRoomListModel::next(int limit)
     }
     m_redirectedText.clear();
     Q_EMIT redirectedChanged();
+    m_errorText.clear();
+    Q_EMIT errorTextChanged();
 
     if (job) {
         qCDebug(PublicRoomList) << "Other job running, ignore";
@@ -200,9 +202,12 @@ void PublicRoomListModel::next(int limit)
             this->beginInsertRows({}, rooms.count(), rooms.count() + job->chunk().count() - 1);
             rooms.append(job->chunk());
             this->endInsertRows();
-        } else if (job->error() == BaseJob::ContentAccessError) {
+        } else if (job->error() == BaseJob::ContentAccessError && !m_searchText.isEmpty()) {
             m_redirectedText = job->jsonData()[u"error"_s].toString();
             Q_EMIT redirectedChanged();
+        } else {
+            m_errorText = job->jsonData()[u"error"_s].toString();
+            Q_EMIT errorTextChanged();
         }
 
         this->job = nullptr;
@@ -329,4 +334,9 @@ QString PublicRoomListModel::redirectedText() const
     return m_redirectedText;
 }
 
+QString PublicRoomListModel::errorText() const
+{
+    return m_errorText;
+}
+
 #include "moc_publicroomlistmodel.cpp"
diff --git a/src/rooms/models/publicroomlistmodel.h b/src/rooms/models/publicroomlistmodel.h
index 2c2cecdeb..7d2cdc4f1 100644
--- a/src/rooms/models/publicroomlistmodel.h
+++ b/src/rooms/models/publicroomlistmodel.h
@@ -53,10 +53,17 @@ class PublicRoomListModel : public QAbstractListModel
     Q_PROPERTY(bool searching READ searching NOTIFY searchingChanged)
 
     /**
-     * @brief The text returned by the server after redirection
+     * @brief The text returned by the server after redirection (after performing a search)
      */
     Q_PROPERTY(QString redirectedText READ redirectedText NOTIFY redirectedChanged)
 
+    /**
+     * @brief The error while trying to list the rooms (not after searching, which is covered by redirectedText)
+     *
+     * This is useful when a server completely shut off room search, or any kind of network error.
+     */
+    Q_PROPERTY(QString errorText READ errorText NOTIFY errorTextChanged)
+
 public:
     /**
      * @brief Defines the model roles.
@@ -120,6 +127,8 @@ public:
 
     QString redirectedText() const;
 
+    QString errorText() const;
+
 private:
     QPointer<NeoChatConnection> m_connection = nullptr;
     QString m_server;
@@ -143,6 +152,7 @@ private:
 
     Quotient::QueryPublicRoomsJob *job = nullptr;
     QString m_redirectedText;
+    QString m_errorText;
 
 Q_SIGNALS:
     void connectionChanged();
@@ -151,4 +161,5 @@ Q_SIGNALS:
     void showOnlySpacesChanged();
     void searchingChanged();
     void redirectedChanged();
+    void errorTextChanged();
 };