diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/ReplicatedChronicleMap.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/ReplicatedChronicleMap.java
index 6113045a1..33497f985 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/ReplicatedChronicleMap.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/ReplicatedChronicleMap.java
@@ -409,6 +409,12 @@ final class ReplicatedChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? supe
             }
         }
 
+        @Override
+        boolean freeListBitsSet() {
+            // As of now, ReplicatedChMap's remove() never clear the bits
+            return true;
+        }
+
         @Override
         void initPutDependencies() {
             super.initPutDependencies();
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaChronicleMap.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaChronicleMap.java
index 93bad7fa2..978a8d407 100755
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaChronicleMap.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaChronicleMap.java
@@ -21,10 +21,15 @@ package net.openhft.chronicle.map;
 import net.openhft.chronicle.hash.KeyContext;
 import net.openhft.chronicle.hash.serialization.BytesReader;
 import net.openhft.chronicle.hash.serialization.SizeMarshaller;
-import net.openhft.chronicle.hash.serialization.internal.*;
+import net.openhft.chronicle.hash.serialization.internal.BytesBytesInterop;
+import net.openhft.chronicle.hash.serialization.internal.DelegatingMetaBytesInterop;
+import net.openhft.chronicle.hash.serialization.internal.MetaBytesInterop;
+import net.openhft.chronicle.hash.serialization.internal.MetaProvider;
 import net.openhft.chronicle.map.VanillaContext.ContextFactory;
 import net.openhft.lang.Jvm;
-import net.openhft.lang.io.*;
+import net.openhft.lang.io.Bytes;
+import net.openhft.lang.io.BytesStore;
+import net.openhft.lang.io.MappedStore;
 import net.openhft.lang.io.serialization.JDKObjectSerializer;
 import net.openhft.lang.model.DataValueClasses;
 import net.openhft.lang.threadlocal.Provider;
@@ -39,7 +44,6 @@ import java.io.ObjectInputStream;
 import java.nio.channels.FileChannel;
 
 import static java.lang.Long.numberOfTrailingZeros;
-import static java.lang.Long.valueOf;
 import static java.lang.Math.max;
 import static net.openhft.chronicle.map.ChronicleMapBuilder.RUNTIME_PAGE_SIZE;
 import static net.openhft.chronicle.map.ChronicleMapBuilder.greatestCommonDivisor;
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaContext.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaContext.java
index 422f2552b..1002aa531 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaContext.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaContext.java
@@ -1458,9 +1458,9 @@ class VanillaContext<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super KI>,
         entrySizeInChunks = 0;
     }
 
-    void checkUpdateLocked() {
+    void updateLockIfNeeded() {
         if (!isUpdateLocked())
-            throw new IllegalStateException("At least update lock should be held");
+            updateLock().lock();
     }
 
     public boolean put(V newValue) {
@@ -1476,7 +1476,7 @@ class VanillaContext<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super KI>,
 
     void initPutDependencies() {
         initLocks();
-        checkUpdateLocked();
+        updateLockIfNeeded();
         initKeySearch();
         initValueModel();
         initKeyModel();
@@ -1547,13 +1547,13 @@ class VanillaContext<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super KI>,
                             m.maxChunksPerEntry + " is maximum.");
                 }
                 if (freeList.allClear(pos + entrySizeInChunks, pos + newSizeInChunks)) {
-                    long setFrom = state == PRESENT ? pos + entrySizeInChunks : pos;
+                    long setFrom = freeListBitsSet() ? pos + entrySizeInChunks : pos;
                     freeList.set(setFrom, pos + newSizeInChunks);
                     break newValueDoesNotFit;
                 }
                 // RELOCATION
                 beforeRelocation();
-                if (state == PRESENT)
+                if (freeListBitsSet())
                     free(pos, entrySizeInChunks);
                 int allocatedChunks =
                         inChunks(innerEntrySize(newSizeOfEverythingBeforeValue, newValueSize));
@@ -1564,7 +1564,7 @@ class VanillaContext<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super KI>,
                 return;
             } else if (newSizeInChunks < entrySizeInChunks) {
                 // Freeing extra chunks
-                if (state == PRESENT)
+                if (freeListBitsSet())
                     freeList.clear(pos + newSizeInChunks, pos + entrySizeInChunks);
                 lesserChunks = newSizeInChunks;
                 // Do NOT reset nextPosToSearchFrom, because if value
@@ -1600,7 +1600,8 @@ class VanillaContext<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super KI>,
         }
         writeNewValueAndSwitch();
         if (state != PRESENT) {
-            freeList.set(pos, entrySizeInChunks);
+            if (!freeListBitsSet())
+                freeList.set(pos, pos + entrySizeInChunks);
             size(size() + 1L);
             beforePutPos();
             hashLookup.putVolatile(pos);
@@ -1609,6 +1610,10 @@ class VanillaContext<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super KI>,
             freeExtraAllocatedChunks(lesserChunks);
     }
 
+    boolean freeListBitsSet() {
+        return state == PRESENT;
+    }
+
     void beforeRelocation() {
     }
 
@@ -1654,7 +1659,7 @@ class VanillaContext<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super KI>,
     void initRemoveDependencies() {
         initSegment();
         initLocks();
-        checkUpdateLocked();
+        updateLockIfNeeded();
     }
 
     void closeRemove() {