diff --git a/api/src/Controllers/UserController.php b/api/src/Controllers/UserController.php
index 9951a9d6e..ad1e9739e 100644
--- a/api/src/Controllers/UserController.php
+++ b/api/src/Controllers/UserController.php
@@ -275,13 +275,8 @@ function _update_user()
         $person = $this->userData->getUser($this->user->personId, $this->proposalid, $this->arg('PERSONID'));
         $person = $person[0];
         $this->_output((array) $person);
-        $laboratory = null;
-        if ($person['LABORATORYID'])
-        {
-            $laboratory = $this->userData->getLaboratory($person['LABORATORYID'])[0];
-        }
 
-        $this->userData->updateLaboratory(
+        $laboratoryId = $this->userData->updateLaboratory(
             $this->arg('PERSONID'),
             $this->argOrNull('LABNAME'),
             $this->argOrNull('ADDRESS'),
@@ -290,7 +285,7 @@ function _update_user()
             $this->argOrNull('COUNTRY'),
             $person['LABORATORYID']
         );
-        $laboratory = $this->userData->getLaboratory($person['LABORATORYID']);
+        $laboratory = $this->userData->getLaboratory($laboratoryId);
         $this->_output((array) $laboratory[0]);
     }
 
@@ -362,4 +357,4 @@ function _update_permission()
         );
         $this->_output(array('TYPE' => $this->arg('TYPE'), 'DESCRIPTION' => $desc));
     }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/api/src/Model/Services/UserData.php b/api/src/Model/Services/UserData.php
index 2a01cdbb5..0c65542db 100644
--- a/api/src/Model/Services/UserData.php
+++ b/api/src/Model/Services/UserData.php
@@ -340,6 +340,7 @@ function updateLaboratory($personId, $labName, $labAddress, $city, $postcode, $c
                 ->whereIdEquals("personid", $personId)
                 ->update("person");
         }
+        return $laboratoryId;
     }
 
     function addGroupUser($personId, $gid)
diff --git a/api/tests/Controllers/UserControllerTest.php b/api/tests/Controllers/UserControllerTest.php
index 8c31e82b1..03dd3c6da 100644
--- a/api/tests/Controllers/UserControllerTest.php
+++ b/api/tests/Controllers/UserControllerTest.php
@@ -373,8 +373,8 @@ public function testUpdateUserWithValidPersonIdAndLabIdReturnsData(): void
         
         $this->dataLayerStub->expects($this->exactly(2))->method('getUser')->with(231312, null, 88)->willReturn($results);
         $this->dataLayerStub->expects($this->exactly(1))->method('updateUser');
-        $this->dataLayerStub->expects($this->exactly(2))->method('getLaboratory')->with(666)->willReturn($labResults);
-        $this->dataLayerStub->expects($this->exactly(1))->method('updateLaboratory');
+        $this->dataLayerStub->expects($this->exactly(1))->method('getLaboratory')->with(666)->willReturn($labResults);
+        $this->dataLayerStub->expects($this->exactly(1))->method('updateLaboratory')->willReturn(666);
 
         $this->userController->_update_user();
     }
@@ -563,4 +563,4 @@ public function testGetPermissionsWithPidSpecifiedReturnsData(): void
         $this->userController->_get_permissions();
         $this->assertEquals(61, $response->getBody());
     }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}