diff --git a/src/core/execute.c b/src/core/execute.c
index 5c30d0bcbe..5c958b327b 100644
--- a/src/core/execute.c
+++ b/src/core/execute.c
@@ -6371,38 +6371,24 @@ int exec_runtime_deserialize_compat(Unit *u, const char *key, const char *value,
                 return 0;
         }
 
-        r = hashmap_ensure_allocated(&u->manager->exec_runtime_by_id, &string_hash_ops);
-        if (r < 0) {
-                log_unit_debug_errno(u, r, "Failed to allocate storage for runtime parameter: %m");
-                return 0;
-        }
+        if (hashmap_ensure_allocated(&u->manager->exec_runtime_by_id, &string_hash_ops) < 0)
+                return log_oom();
 
         rt = hashmap_get(u->manager->exec_runtime_by_id, u->id);
         if (!rt) {
-                r = exec_runtime_allocate(&rt_create, u->id);
-                if (r < 0)
+                if (exec_runtime_allocate(&rt_create, u->id) < 0)
                         return log_oom();
 
                 rt = rt_create;
         }
 
         if (streq(key, "tmp-dir")) {
-                char *copy;
-
-                copy = strdup(value);
-                if (!copy)
-                        return log_oom();
-
-                free_and_replace(rt->tmp_dir, copy);
+                if (free_and_strdup_warn(&rt->tmp_dir, value) < 0)
+                        return -ENOMEM;
 
         } else if (streq(key, "var-tmp-dir")) {
-                char *copy;
-
-                copy = strdup(value);
-                if (!copy)
-                        return log_oom();
-
-                free_and_replace(rt->var_tmp_dir, copy);
+                if (free_and_strdup_warn(&rt->var_tmp_dir, value) < 0)
+                        return -ENOMEM;
 
         } else if (streq(key, "netns-socket-0")) {
                 int fd;
@@ -6426,27 +6412,6 @@ int exec_runtime_deserialize_compat(Unit *u, const char *key, const char *value,
                 safe_close(rt->netns_storage_socket[1]);
                 rt->netns_storage_socket[1] = fdset_remove(fds, fd);
 
-        } else if (streq(key, "ipcns-socket-0")) {
-                int fd;
-
-                if (safe_atoi(value, &fd) < 0 || !fdset_contains(fds, fd)) {
-                        log_unit_debug(u, "Failed to parse ipcns socket value: %s", value);
-                        return 0;
-                }
-
-                safe_close(rt->ipcns_storage_socket[0]);
-                rt->ipcns_storage_socket[0] = fdset_remove(fds, fd);
-
-        } else if (streq(key, "ipcns-socket-1")) {
-                int fd;
-
-                if (safe_atoi(value, &fd) < 0 || !fdset_contains(fds, fd)) {
-                        log_unit_debug(u, "Failed to parse ipcns socket value: %s", value);
-                        return 0;
-                }
-
-                safe_close(rt->ipcns_storage_socket[1]);
-                rt->ipcns_storage_socket[1] = fdset_remove(fds, fd);
         } else
                 return 0;
 
diff --git a/src/core/unit-serialize.c b/src/core/unit-serialize.c
index daf7c59cc1..de71201fdb 100644
--- a/src/core/unit-serialize.c
+++ b/src/core/unit-serialize.c
@@ -108,7 +108,9 @@ int unit_serialize(Unit *u, FILE *f, FDSet *fds, bool switching_root) {
         fputs(u->id, f);
         fputc('\n', f);
 
-        if (unit_can_serialize(u)) {
+        assert(!!UNIT_VTABLE(u)->serialize == !!UNIT_VTABLE(u)->deserialize_item);
+
+        if (UNIT_VTABLE(u)->serialize) {
                 r = UNIT_VTABLE(u)->serialize(u, f, fds);
                 if (r < 0)
                         return r;
@@ -498,17 +500,15 @@ int unit_deserialize(Unit *u, FILE *f, FDSet *fds) {
                         continue;
                 }
 
-                if (unit_can_serialize(u)) {
-                        r = exec_runtime_deserialize_compat(u, l, v, fds);
-                        if (r < 0) {
-                                log_unit_warning(u, "Failed to deserialize runtime parameter '%s', ignoring.", l);
-                                continue;
-                        }
-
+                r = exec_runtime_deserialize_compat(u, l, v, fds);
+                if (r < 0) {
+                        log_unit_warning(u, "Failed to deserialize runtime parameter '%s', ignoring.", l);
+                        continue;
+                } else if (r > 0)
                         /* Returns positive if key was handled by the call */
-                        if (r > 0)
-                                continue;
+                        continue;
 
+                if (UNIT_VTABLE(u)->deserialize_item) {
                         r = UNIT_VTABLE(u)->deserialize_item(u, l, v, fds);
                         if (r < 0)
                                 log_unit_warning(u, "Failed to deserialize unit parameter '%s', ignoring.", l);
diff --git a/src/core/unit.c b/src/core/unit.c
index de407d20a8..5f4739b32a 100644
--- a/src/core/unit.c
+++ b/src/core/unit.c
@@ -3488,12 +3488,6 @@ void unit_unwatch_bus_name(Unit *u, const char *name) {
         u->get_name_owner_slot = sd_bus_slot_unref(u->get_name_owner_slot);
 }
 
-bool unit_can_serialize(Unit *u) {
-        assert(u);
-
-        return UNIT_VTABLE(u)->serialize && UNIT_VTABLE(u)->deserialize_item;
-}
-
 int unit_add_node_dependency(Unit *u, const char *what, UnitDependency dep, UnitDependencyMask mask) {
         _cleanup_free_ char *e = NULL;
         Unit *device;
diff --git a/src/core/unit.h b/src/core/unit.h
index 52feb3693b..3b302e7e20 100644
--- a/src/core/unit.h
+++ b/src/core/unit.h
@@ -814,8 +814,6 @@ char *unit_dbus_path_invocation_id(Unit *u);
 
 int unit_load_related_unit(Unit *u, const char *type, Unit **_found);
 
-bool unit_can_serialize(Unit *u) _pure_;
-
 int unit_add_node_dependency(Unit *u, const char *what, UnitDependency d, UnitDependencyMask mask);
 int unit_add_blockdev_dependency(Unit *u, const char *what, UnitDependencyMask mask);