diff --git a/src/keva/main.cpp b/src/keva/main.cpp
index ae44e35ff..3e6821d7d 100644
--- a/src/keva/main.cpp
+++ b/src/keva/main.cpp
@@ -359,11 +359,6 @@ CheckKevaTransaction (const CTransaction& tx, unsigned nHeight,
     if (!nameOpIn.isAnyUpdate() && !nameOpIn.isNamespaceRegistration()) {
       return state.Invalid(error("CheckKevaTransaction: KEVA_DELETE with prev input that is no update"));
     }
-    CKevaData data;
-    const bool hasKey = view.GetName(nameSpace, nameOpOut.getOpKey(), data);
-    if (!hasKey) {
-      return state.Invalid(error("CheckKevaTransaction: no key to delete"));
-    }
   }
   return true;
 }
@@ -410,7 +405,10 @@ void ApplyKevaTransaction(const CTransaction& tx, unsigned nHeight,
 
       CKevaData data;
       if (op.isDelete()) {
-        view.DeleteName(nameSpace, key);
+        CKevaData oldData;
+        if (view.GetName(nameSpace, key, oldData)) {
+          view.DeleteName(nameSpace, key);
+        }
       } else {
         data.fromScript(nHeight, COutPoint(tx.GetHash(), i), op);
         view.SetName(nameSpace, key, data, false);
diff --git a/src/wallet/rpckeva.cpp b/src/wallet/rpckeva.cpp
index cee089858..535ea1d7b 100644
--- a/src/wallet/rpckeva.cpp
+++ b/src/wallet/rpckeva.cpp
@@ -327,18 +327,25 @@ UniValue keva_delete(const JSONRPCRequest& request)
     throw JSONRPCError (RPC_INVALID_PARAMETER, "the key is too long");
   }
 
+  bool hasKey = false;
   CKevaData data;
   {
     LOCK2(cs_main, mempool.cs);
-    if (!pcoinsTip->GetName(nameSpace, key, data)) {
-      std::vector<std::tuple<valtype, valtype, valtype, uint256>> unconfirmedKeyValueList;
-      valtype val;
-      if (!mempool.getUnconfirmedKeyValue(nameSpace, key, val) || val.size() == 0) {
-        throw JSONRPCError (RPC_TRANSACTION_ERROR, "key not found");
+    std::vector<std::tuple<valtype, valtype, valtype, uint256>> unconfirmedKeyValueList;
+    valtype val;
+    if (mempool.getUnconfirmedKeyValue(nameSpace, key, val)) {
+      if (val.size() > 0) {
+        hasKey = true;
       }
+    } else if (pcoinsTip->GetName(nameSpace, key, data)) {
+      hasKey = true;
     }
   }
 
+  if (!hasKey) {
+    throw JSONRPCError (RPC_TRANSACTION_ERROR, "key not found");
+  }
+
   EnsureWalletIsUnlocked(pwallet);
 
   COutput output;