diff --git a/datastore_server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/dss/plugins/sync/harvester/synchronizer/MasterDataSynchronizer.java b/datastore_server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/dss/plugins/sync/harvester/synchronizer/MasterDataSynchronizer.java
index 3cae25520e4c08d132e40ae20c3c3390172274be..0ec9c5e7a7fee940e91d663e6b7528f2b3da570a 100644
--- a/datastore_server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/dss/plugins/sync/harvester/synchronizer/MasterDataSynchronizer.java
+++ b/datastore_server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/dss/plugins/sync/harvester/synchronizer/MasterDataSynchronizer.java
@@ -273,18 +273,15 @@ public class MasterDataSynchronizer
             if (existingEntityType != null)
             {
                 updateEntityType(entityKind, incomingEntityType);
-                if (entityKind != EntityKind.MATERIAL) // defer material property assignments until after property types are processed
+                if (list != null && entityKind != EntityKind.MATERIAL) // defer material property assignments until after property types are processed
                 {
-                    if (list != null)
-                    {
-                        processPropertyAssignments(existingEntityType, list);
-                    }
+                    processPropertyAssignments(existingEntityType, list);
                 }
             }
             else
             {
                 registerEntityType(entityKind, incomingEntityType);
-                if (list != null)
+                if (list != null && entityKind != EntityKind.MATERIAL) // defer material property assignments until after property types are processed
                 {
                     assignProperties(list);
                 }