diff --git a/synapse/config/appservice.py b/synapse/config/appservice.py
index 9a2359b6fdee0c4b972a00d1384ac1b4c33c43a0..277305e184cdb0e87cc8b2520ffe20c58f9b5f58 100644
--- a/synapse/config/appservice.py
+++ b/synapse/config/appservice.py
@@ -17,11 +17,11 @@ from ._base import Config, ConfigError
 from synapse.appservice import ApplicationService
 from synapse.types import UserID
 
-import urllib
 import yaml
 import logging
 
 from six import string_types
+from six.moves.urllib import parse as urlparse
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ def _load_appservice(hostname, as_info, config_filename):
         )
 
     localpart = as_info["sender_localpart"]
-    if urllib.quote(localpart) != localpart:
+    if urlparse.quote(localpart) != localpart:
         raise ValueError(
             "sender_localpart needs characters which are not URL encoded."
         )
diff --git a/synapse/http/matrixfederationclient.py b/synapse/http/matrixfederationclient.py
index 60a29081e8bf894ddef028dc0068da718bb5d618..c2e5610f50d61a87b38db3db5e343671cd1cad2a 100644
--- a/synapse/http/matrixfederationclient.py
+++ b/synapse/http/matrixfederationclient.py
@@ -38,8 +38,7 @@ import logging
 import random
 import sys
 import urllib
-import urlparse
-
+from six.moves.urllib import parse as urlparse
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 outbound_logger = logging.getLogger("synapse.http.outbound")
diff --git a/synapse/rest/client/v1/login.py b/synapse/rest/client/v1/login.py
index 45844aa2d2e8a8a60cae39c4bd1cba7c6982dea0..34df5be4e9ebe966cd92ce5cc564891898ec2802 100644
--- a/synapse/rest/client/v1/login.py
+++ b/synapse/rest/client/v1/login.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ from .base import ClientV1RestServlet, client_path_patterns
 
 import simplejson as json
 import urllib
-import urlparse
+from six.moves.urllib import parse as urlparse
 
 import logging
 from saml2 import BINDING_HTTP_POST
diff --git a/synapse/rest/client/v1/room.py b/synapse/rest/client/v1/room.py
index 2ad0e5943b76573e6ccf377844d19239877ca9e1..fcf9c9ab449339effb28cd4051326fe1ea95e948 100644
--- a/synapse/rest/client/v1/room.py
+++ b/synapse/rest/client/v1/room.py
@@ -28,8 +28,9 @@ from synapse.http.servlet import (
     parse_json_object_from_request, parse_string, parse_integer
 )
 
+from six.moves.urllib import parse as urlparse
+
 import logging
-import urllib
 import simplejson as json
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -433,7 +434,7 @@ class RoomMessageListRestServlet(ClientV1RestServlet):
         as_client_event = "raw" not in request.args
         filter_bytes = request.args.get("filter", None)
         if filter_bytes:
-            filter_json = urllib.unquote(filter_bytes[-1]).decode("UTF-8")
+            filter_json = urlparse.unquote(filter_bytes[-1]).decode("UTF-8")
             event_filter = Filter(json.loads(filter_json))
         else:
             event_filter = None
@@ -718,8 +719,8 @@ class RoomTypingRestServlet(ClientV1RestServlet):
     def on_PUT(self, request, room_id, user_id):
         requester = yield self.auth.get_user_by_req(request)
 
-        room_id = urllib.unquote(room_id)
-        target_user = UserID.from_string(urllib.unquote(user_id))
+        room_id = urlparse.unquote(room_id)
+        target_user = UserID.from_string(urlparse.unquote(user_id))
 
         content = parse_json_object_from_request(request)
 
diff --git a/synapse/rest/media/v1/_base.py b/synapse/rest/media/v1/_base.py
index e7ac01da01d2946f835a79414c40d6babf57ce33..d9c4af9389ee0ef7e55abc3d0d64f65d9e61651c 100644
--- a/synapse/rest/media/v1/_base.py
+++ b/synapse/rest/media/v1/_base.py
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import os
 
 import logging
 import urllib
-import urlparse
+from six.moves.urllib import parse as urlparse
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
diff --git a/synapse/rest/media/v1/media_repository.py b/synapse/rest/media/v1/media_repository.py
index bb79599379197aa4736a5cce575c258135965e1c..9800ce75812d4607e098f4b845eb7c421006ab5a 100644
--- a/synapse/rest/media/v1/media_repository.py
+++ b/synapse/rest/media/v1/media_repository.py
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ import shutil
 
 import cgi
 import logging
-import urlparse
+from six.moves.urllib import parse as urlparse
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
diff --git a/tests/rest/client/v1/test_rooms.py b/tests/rest/client/v1/test_rooms.py
index 7e8966a1a8e0ef874ac89431a0a2d8140d0c749a..d763400eaf77796f888766603e168cc015006ff5 100644
--- a/tests/rest/client/v1/test_rooms.py
+++ b/tests/rest/client/v1/test_rooms.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ from synapse.api.constants import Membership
 from synapse.types import UserID
 
 import json
-import urllib
+from six.moves.urllib import parse as urlparse
 
 from ....utils import MockHttpResource, setup_test_homeserver
 from .utils import RestTestCase
@@ -766,7 +766,7 @@ class RoomMemberStateTestCase(RestTestCase):
     @defer.inlineCallbacks
     def test_rooms_members_self(self):
         path = "/rooms/%s/state/m.room.member/%s" % (
-            urllib.quote(self.room_id), self.user_id
+            urlparse.quote(self.room_id), self.user_id
         )
 
         # valid join message (NOOP since we made the room)
@@ -786,7 +786,7 @@ class RoomMemberStateTestCase(RestTestCase):
     def test_rooms_members_other(self):
         self.other_id = "@zzsid1:red"
         path = "/rooms/%s/state/m.room.member/%s" % (
-            urllib.quote(self.room_id), self.other_id
+            urlparse.quote(self.room_id), self.other_id
         )
 
         # valid invite message
@@ -802,7 +802,7 @@ class RoomMemberStateTestCase(RestTestCase):
     def test_rooms_members_other_custom_keys(self):
         self.other_id = "@zzsid1:red"
         path = "/rooms/%s/state/m.room.member/%s" % (
-            urllib.quote(self.room_id), self.other_id
+            urlparse.quote(self.room_id), self.other_id
         )
 
         # valid invite message with custom key
@@ -859,7 +859,7 @@ class RoomMessagesTestCase(RestTestCase):
     @defer.inlineCallbacks
     def test_invalid_puts(self):
         path = "/rooms/%s/send/m.room.message/mid1" % (
-            urllib.quote(self.room_id))
+            urlparse.quote(self.room_id))
         # missing keys or invalid json
         (code, response) = yield self.mock_resource.trigger(
             "PUT", path, '{}'
@@ -894,7 +894,7 @@ class RoomMessagesTestCase(RestTestCase):
     @defer.inlineCallbacks
     def test_rooms_messages_sent(self):
         path = "/rooms/%s/send/m.room.message/mid1" % (
-            urllib.quote(self.room_id))
+            urlparse.quote(self.room_id))
 
         content = '{"body":"test","msgtype":{"type":"a"}}'
         (code, response) = yield self.mock_resource.trigger("PUT", path, content)
@@ -911,7 +911,7 @@ class RoomMessagesTestCase(RestTestCase):
 
         # m.text message type
         path = "/rooms/%s/send/m.room.message/mid2" % (
-            urllib.quote(self.room_id))
+            urlparse.quote(self.room_id))
         content = '{"body":"test2","msgtype":"m.text"}'
         (code, response) = yield self.mock_resource.trigger("PUT", path, content)
         self.assertEquals(200, code, msg=str(response))
diff --git a/tests/utils.py b/tests/utils.py
index f15317d27b6f90447a03a302ee41784f62046f56..9e815d8643246908e2b07b8584b29869ff77829e 100644
--- a/tests/utils.py
+++ b/tests/utils.py
@@ -15,8 +15,7 @@
 
 import hashlib
 from inspect import getcallargs
-import urllib
-import urlparse
+from six.moves.urllib import parse as urlparse
 
 from mock import Mock, patch
 from twisted.internet import defer, reactor
@@ -234,7 +233,7 @@ class MockHttpResource(HttpServer):
             if matcher:
                 try:
                     args = [
-                        urllib.unquote(u).decode("UTF-8")
+                        urlparse.unquote(u).decode("UTF-8")
                         for u in matcher.groups()
                     ]