diff --git a/migrations/2018_01_30_222801_migrate_users_table_preferences_columns.php b/migrations/2018_01_30_222801_migrate_users_table_preferences_columns.php
index f4f97351f..f59e89d40 100644
--- a/migrations/2018_01_30_222801_migrate_users_table_preferences_columns.php
+++ b/migrations/2018_01_30_222801_migrate_users_table_preferences_columns.php
@@ -9,9 +9,7 @@
  * file that was distributed with this source code.
  */
 
-use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Collection;
 use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Builder;
-use Illuminate\Support\Arr;
 
 return [
     'up' => function (Builder $builder) {
diff --git a/src/User/NotificationPreference.php b/src/User/NotificationPreference.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b1b1c6ad7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/User/NotificationPreference.php
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Flarum\User;
+
+use Flarum\Database\AbstractModel;
+
+/**
+ * @property int $user_id
+ * @property string $type
+ * @property string $channel
+ * @property bool $enabled
+ */
+class NotificationPreference extends AbstractModel
+{
+    public function user()
+    {
+        return $this->belongsTo(User::class);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/User/User.php b/src/User/User.php
index 161db365f..538387df1 100644
--- a/src/User/User.php
+++ b/src/User/User.php
@@ -448,6 +448,11 @@ class User extends AbstractModel
         })->count();
     }
 
+    public function notificationPreferences()
+    {
+        return $this->hasMany(NotificationPreference::class);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Get the values of all registered preferences for this user, by
      * transforming their stored preferences and merging them with the defaults.
@@ -461,7 +466,7 @@ class User extends AbstractModel
             return $value['default'];
         }, static::$preferences);
 
-        $user = Arr::only((array) json_decode($value, true), array_keys(static::$preferences));
+        $user = Arr::only($this->notificationPreferences->toArray(), array_keys(static::$preferences));
 
         return array_merge($defaults, $user);
     }