diff --git a/src/network/networkd-link.c b/src/network/networkd-link.c
index 3301d0b3ce6..8ebe4b2bcb8 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-link.c
+++ b/src/network/networkd-link.c
@@ -830,7 +830,7 @@ static int link_request_set_routing_policy_rule(Link *link) {
                         continue;
                 }
 
-                r = routing_policy_rule_configure(rule, link, NULL, false);
+                r = routing_policy_rule_configure(rule, link, NULL);
                 if (r < 0) {
                         log_link_warning_errno(link, r, "Could not set routing policy rules: %m");
                         link_enter_failed(link);
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-routing-policy-rule.c b/src/network/networkd-routing-policy-rule.c
index f6253215ed8..faa9f8576c7 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-routing-policy-rule.c
+++ b/src/network/networkd-routing-policy-rule.c
@@ -46,8 +46,10 @@ void routing_policy_rule_free(RoutingPolicyRule *rule) {
         }
 
         if (rule->manager) {
-                set_remove(rule->manager->rules, rule);
-                set_remove(rule->manager->rules_foreign, rule);
+                if (set_get(rule->manager->rules, rule) == rule)
+                        set_remove(rule->manager->rules, rule);
+                if (set_get(rule->manager->rules_foreign, rule) == rule)
+                        set_remove(rule->manager->rules_foreign, rule);
         }
 
         network_config_section_free(rule->section);
@@ -275,8 +277,8 @@ static int routing_policy_rule_add_internal(Manager *m,
         rule->tos = tos;
         rule->fwmark = fwmark;
         rule->table = table;
-        rule->iif = iif;
-        rule->oif = oif;
+        rule->iif = TAKE_PTR(iif);
+        rule->oif = TAKE_PTR(oif);
         rule->protocol = protocol;
         rule->sport = *sport;
         rule->dport = *dport;
@@ -292,9 +294,7 @@ static int routing_policy_rule_add_internal(Manager *m,
         if (ret)
                 *ret = rule;
 
-        rule = NULL;
-        iif = oif = NULL;
-
+        TAKE_PTR(rule);
         return 0;
 }
 
@@ -474,7 +474,7 @@ static int routing_policy_rule_handler(sd_netlink *rtnl, sd_netlink_message *m,
         return 1;
 }
 
-int routing_policy_rule_configure(RoutingPolicyRule *rule, Link *link, link_netlink_message_handler_t callback, bool update) {
+int routing_policy_rule_configure(RoutingPolicyRule *rule, Link *link, link_netlink_message_handler_t callback) {
         _cleanup_(sd_netlink_message_unrefp) sd_netlink_message *m = NULL;
         int r;
 
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-routing-policy-rule.h b/src/network/networkd-routing-policy-rule.h
index 4ee0b5489ef..0b3204ad9c2 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-routing-policy-rule.h
+++ b/src/network/networkd-routing-policy-rule.h
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ void routing_policy_rule_free(RoutingPolicyRule *rule);
 
 DEFINE_NETWORK_SECTION_FUNCTIONS(RoutingPolicyRule, routing_policy_rule_free);
 
-int routing_policy_rule_configure(RoutingPolicyRule *address, Link *link, link_netlink_message_handler_t callback, bool update);
+int routing_policy_rule_configure(RoutingPolicyRule *address, Link *link, link_netlink_message_handler_t callback);
 int routing_policy_rule_remove(RoutingPolicyRule *routing_policy_rule, Link *link, link_netlink_message_handler_t callback);
 
 int routing_policy_rule_add(Manager *m, int family, const union in_addr_union *from, uint8_t from_prefixlen, const union in_addr_union *to, uint8_t to_prefixlen,