diff --git a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/cmd/dendrite-client-api-server/main.go b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/cmd/dendrite-client-api-server/main.go
index dc9386b7..d6d6f36b 100644
--- a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/cmd/dendrite-client-api-server/main.go
+++ b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/cmd/dendrite-client-api-server/main.go
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ package main
 import (
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
-	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 
 	"golang.org/x/crypto/ed25519"
@@ -25,27 +24,12 @@ import (
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/config"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/producers"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/routing"
+	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/api"
 
 	log "github.com/Sirupsen/logrus"
-	"github.com/matrix-org/dugong"
 )
 
-func setupLogging(logDir string) {
-	_ = os.Mkdir(logDir, os.ModePerm)
-	log.AddHook(dugong.NewFSHook(
-		filepath.Join(logDir, "info.log"),
-		filepath.Join(logDir, "warn.log"),
-		filepath.Join(logDir, "error.log"),
-		&log.TextFormatter{
-			TimestampFormat:  "2006-01-02 15:04:05.000000",
-			DisableColors:    true,
-			DisableTimestamp: false,
-			DisableSorting:   false,
-		}, &dugong.DailyRotationSchedule{GZip: true},
-	))
-}
-
 var (
 	kafkaURIs            = strings.Split(os.Getenv("KAFKA_URIS"), ",")
 	bindAddr             = os.Getenv("BIND_ADDRESS")
@@ -55,12 +39,10 @@ var (
 )
 
 func main() {
+	common.SetupLogging(logDir)
 	if bindAddr == "" {
 		log.Panic("No BIND_ADDRESS environment variable found.")
 	}
-	if logDir != "" {
-		setupLogging(logDir)
-	}
 	if len(kafkaURIs) == 0 {
 		// the kafka default is :9092
 		kafkaURIs = []string{"localhost:9092"}
diff --git a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/cmd/dendrite-sync-api-server/main.go b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/cmd/dendrite-sync-api-server/main.go
index 84e4de65..750f0203 100644
--- a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/cmd/dendrite-sync-api-server/main.go
+++ b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/cmd/dendrite-sync-api-server/main.go
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ import (
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
-	"path/filepath"
 
+	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/syncapi/config"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/syncapi/consumers"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/syncapi/routing"
@@ -28,28 +28,12 @@ import (
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/syncapi/sync"
 
 	log "github.com/Sirupsen/logrus"
-	"github.com/matrix-org/dugong"
 	yaml "gopkg.in/yaml.v2"
 )
 
 var configPath = flag.String("config", "sync-server-config.yaml", "The path to the config file. For more information, see the config file in this repository.")
 var bindAddr = flag.String("listen", ":4200", "The port to listen on.")
 
-func setupLogging(logDir string) {
-	_ = os.Mkdir(logDir, os.ModePerm)
-	log.AddHook(dugong.NewFSHook(
-		filepath.Join(logDir, "info.log"),
-		filepath.Join(logDir, "warn.log"),
-		filepath.Join(logDir, "error.log"),
-		&log.TextFormatter{
-			TimestampFormat:  "2006-01-02 15:04:05.000000",
-			DisableColors:    true,
-			DisableTimestamp: false,
-			DisableSorting:   false,
-		}, &dugong.DailyRotationSchedule{GZip: true},
-	))
-}
-
 func loadConfig(configPath string) (*config.Sync, error) {
 	contents, err := ioutil.ReadFile(configPath)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -64,6 +48,8 @@ func loadConfig(configPath string) (*config.Sync, error) {
 }
 
 func main() {
+	common.SetupLogging(os.Getenv("LOG_DIR"))
+
 	flag.Parse()
 
 	if *configPath == "" {
@@ -77,10 +63,6 @@ func main() {
 	if *bindAddr == "" {
 		log.Fatal("--listen must be supplied")
 	}
-	logDir := os.Getenv("LOG_DIR")
-	if logDir != "" {
-		setupLogging(logDir)
-	}
 
 	log.Info("sync server config: ", cfg)
 
diff --git a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/log.go b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/log.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..79fee40f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/log.go
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+// Copyright 2017 Vector Creations Ltd
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package common
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+
+	"github.com/Sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/matrix-org/dugong"
+)
+
+type utcFormatter struct {
+	logrus.Formatter
+}
+
+func (f utcFormatter) Format(entry *logrus.Entry) ([]byte, error) {
+	entry.Time = entry.Time.UTC()
+	return f.Formatter.Format(entry)
+}
+
+// SetupLogging configures the logging format and destination(s).
+func SetupLogging(logDir string) {
+	logrus.SetFormatter(&utcFormatter{
+		&logrus.TextFormatter{
+			TimestampFormat:  "2006-01-02T15:04:05.000000000Z07:00",
+			FullTimestamp:    true,
+			DisableColors:    false,
+			DisableTimestamp: false,
+			DisableSorting:   false,
+		},
+	})
+	if logDir != "" {
+		_ = os.Mkdir(logDir, os.ModePerm)
+		logrus.AddHook(dugong.NewFSHook(
+			filepath.Join(logDir, "info.log"),
+			filepath.Join(logDir, "warn.log"),
+			filepath.Join(logDir, "error.log"),
+			&utcFormatter{
+				&logrus.TextFormatter{
+					TimestampFormat:  "2006-01-02T15:04:05.000000000Z07:00",
+					DisableColors:    true,
+					DisableTimestamp: false,
+					DisableSorting:   false,
+				},
+			},
+			&dugong.DailyRotationSchedule{GZip: true},
+		))
+	}
+}