diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/Models/Membership/User.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/Models/Membership/User.cs
index db55622118..b2e380811b 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/Models/Membership/User.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/Models/Membership/User.cs
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Models.Membership
             _isLockedOut = false;
             _startContentIds = new int[] { };
             _startMediaIds = new int[] { };
-        }
+        }
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Constructor for creating a new User instance for an existing user
@@ -68,12 +68,16 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Models.Membership
         /// <param name="username"></param>
         /// <param name="rawPasswordValue"></param>
         /// <param name="userGroups"></param>
-        public User(int id, string name, string email, string username, string rawPasswordValue, IEnumerable<IReadOnlyUserGroup> userGroups)
+        /// <param name="startContentIds"></param>
+        /// <param name="startMediaIds"></param>
+        public User(int id, string name, string email, string username, string rawPasswordValue, IEnumerable<IReadOnlyUserGroup> userGroups, int[] startContentIds, int[] startMediaIds)
             : this()
         {
             //we allow whitespace for this value so just check null
             if (rawPasswordValue == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("rawPasswordValue");
             if (userGroups == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("userGroups");
+            if (startContentIds == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("startContentIds");
+            if (startMediaIds == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("startMediaIds");
             if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(name)) throw new ArgumentException("Value cannot be null or whitespace.", "name");
             if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(username)) throw new ArgumentException("Value cannot be null or whitespace.", "username");            
 
@@ -85,8 +89,8 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Models.Membership
             _userGroups = new HashSet<IReadOnlyUserGroup>(userGroups);
             _isApproved = true;
             _isLockedOut = false;
-            _startContentIds = new int[] { };
-            _startMediaIds = new int[] { };
+            _startContentIds = startContentIds;
+            _startMediaIds = startMediaIds;
         }
 
         private string _name;
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/Models/UserExtensions.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/Models/UserExtensions.cs
index 198c41bd54..4209878116 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/Models/UserExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/Models/UserExtensions.cs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Globalization;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Net;
@@ -10,7 +11,25 @@ using Umbraco.Core.Services;
 namespace Umbraco.Core.Models
 {
     public static class UserExtensions
-    {
+    {
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Returns all of the user's assigned start node ids based on ids assigned directly to the IUser object and it's groups
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <returns></returns>
+        public static IEnumerable<int> GetCombinedStartContentIds(this IUser user)
+        {
+            return user.StartContentIds.Concat(user.Groups.Select(x => x.StartContentId)).Distinct();
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Returns all of the user's assigned start node ids based on ids assigned directly to the IUser object and it's groups
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <returns></returns>
+        public static IEnumerable<int> GetCombinedMediaContentIds(this IUser user)
+        {
+            return user.StartMediaIds.Concat(user.Groups.Select(x => x.StartMediaId)).Distinct();
+        }
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Tries to lookup the user's gravatar to see if the endpoint can be reached, if so it returns the valid URL
         /// </summary>
@@ -115,7 +134,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Models
         {
             if (user == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("user");
             if (content == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("content");
-            return HasPathAccess(content.Path, user.StartContentIds, Constants.System.RecycleBinContent);
+            return HasPathAccess(content.Path, user.GetCombinedStartContentIds().ToArray(), Constants.System.RecycleBinContent);
         }
 
         internal static bool HasPathAccess(string path, int[] startNodeIds, int recycleBinId)
@@ -159,7 +178,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Models
         {
             if (user == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("user");
             if (media == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("media");
-            return HasPathAccess(media.Path, user.StartMediaIds, Constants.System.RecycleBinMedia);
+            return HasPathAccess(media.Path, user.GetCombinedMediaContentIds().ToArray(), Constants.System.RecycleBinMedia);
         }
         
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/Factories/UserFactory.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/Factories/UserFactory.cs
index 2915bc570e..cae42191c6 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/Factories/UserFactory.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/Factories/UserFactory.cs
@@ -13,15 +13,16 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Persistence.Factories
         {
             var guidId = dto.Id.ToGuid();
             
-            var user = new User(dto.Id, dto.UserName, dto.Email, dto.Login,dto.Password, dto.UserGroupDtos.Select(x => x.ToReadOnlyGroup()).ToArray());
+            var user = new User(dto.Id, dto.UserName, dto.Email, dto.Login,dto.Password, 
+                dto.UserGroupDtos.Select(x => x.ToReadOnlyGroup()).ToArray(),
+                dto.UserStartNodeDtos.Where(x => x.StartNodeType == (int)UserStartNodeDto.StartNodeTypeValue.Content).Select(x => x.StartNode).ToArray(),
+                dto.UserStartNodeDtos.Where(x => x.StartNodeType == (int)UserStartNodeDto.StartNodeTypeValue.Media).Select(x => x.StartNode).ToArray());
 
             try
             {
                 user.DisableChangeTracking();
                 
                 user.Key = guidId;
-                user.StartContentIds = dto.UserStartNodeDtos.Where(x => x.StartNodeType == (int)UserStartNodeDto.StartNodeTypeValue.Content).Select(x => x.StartNode).ToArray();
-                user.StartMediaIds = dto.UserStartNodeDtos.Where(x => x.StartNodeType == (int) UserStartNodeDto.StartNodeTypeValue.Media).Select(x => x.StartNode).ToArray();
                 user.IsLockedOut = dto.NoConsole;
                 user.IsApproved = dto.Disabled == false;
                 user.Language = dto.UserLanguage;
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/Models/Mapping/UserModelMapper.cs b/src/Umbraco.Web/Models/Mapping/UserModelMapper.cs
index 81ac54caae..339de9387e 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web/Models/Mapping/UserModelMapper.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/Models/Mapping/UserModelMapper.cs
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.Models.Mapping
             config.CreateMap<IUser, UserDisplay>()
                 .ForMember(detail => detail.Avatars, opt => opt.MapFrom(user => user.GetCurrentUserAvatarUrls(applicationContext.Services.UserService, applicationContext.ApplicationCache.RuntimeCache)))
                 .ForMember(detail => detail.Username, opt => opt.MapFrom(user => user.Username))
-                .ForMember(detail => detail.UserGroups, opt => opt.MapFrom(user => user.Groups))
+                .ForMember(detail => detail.UserGroups, opt => opt.MapFrom(user => user.Groups.Select(x => x.Alias).ToArray()))
                 .ForMember(detail => detail.StartContentIds, opt => opt.MapFrom(user => user.StartContentIds))
                 .ForMember(detail => detail.StartMediaIds, opt => opt.MapFrom(user => user.StartMediaIds))
                 .ForMember(detail => detail.Culture, opt => opt.MapFrom(user => user.GetUserCulture(applicationContext.Services.TextService)))