diff --git a/src/network/networkd-address.c b/src/network/networkd-address.c
index 542298c8c3..41d75bdf84 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-address.c
+++ b/src/network/networkd-address.c
@@ -1496,7 +1496,7 @@ static int address_acquire(Link *link, const Address *address, union in_addr_uni
         assert(ret);
 
         r = address_acquire_from_dhcp_server_leases_file(link, address, ret);
-        if (r != -ENOENT)
+        if (!IN_SET(r, -ENOENT, -ENXIO, -EINVAL))
                 return r;
 
         r = address_pool_acquire(link->manager, address->family, address->prefixlen, &a);
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-dhcp-server.c b/src/network/networkd-dhcp-server.c
index 44b8aaa977..b1953545ed 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-dhcp-server.c
+++ b/src/network/networkd-dhcp-server.c
@@ -197,8 +197,14 @@ int address_acquire_from_dhcp_server_leases_file(Link *link, const Address *addr
                         lease_file,
                         &a,
                         &prefixlen);
-        if (r < 0)
+        if (r == -ENOENT)
                 return r;
+        if (r < 0)
+                return log_warning_errno(r, "Failed to load lease file %s: %s",
+                                         lease_file,
+                                         r == -ENXIO ? "expected JSON content not found" :
+                                         r == -EINVAL ? "invalid JSON" :
+                                         STRERROR(r));
 
         if (prefixlen != address->prefixlen)
                 return -ENOENT;