diff --git a/src/automount.c b/src/automount.c
index b70f8b4684..c4191f6706 100644
--- a/src/automount.c
+++ b/src/automount.c
@@ -836,6 +836,7 @@ DEFINE_STRING_TABLE_LOOKUP(automount_state, AutomountState);
 
 const UnitVTable automount_vtable = {
         .suffix = ".automount",
+        .object_size = sizeof(Automount),
         .sections =
                 "Unit\0"
                 "Automount\0"
diff --git a/src/device.c b/src/device.c
index bffeca0d10..64665a8b87 100644
--- a/src/device.c
+++ b/src/device.c
@@ -198,10 +198,12 @@ static int device_update_unit(Manager *m, struct udev_device *dev, const char *p
         if (!u) {
                 delete = true;
 
-                if (!(u = unit_new(m)))
+                u = unit_new(m, sizeof(Device));
+                if (!u)
                         return -ENOMEM;
 
-                if ((r = device_add_escaped_name(u, path)) < 0)
+                r = device_add_escaped_name(u, path);
+                if (r < 0)
                         goto fail;
 
                 unit_add_to_load_queue(u);
@@ -583,6 +585,7 @@ DEFINE_STRING_TABLE_LOOKUP(device_state, DeviceState);
 
 const UnitVTable device_vtable = {
         .suffix = ".device",
+        .object_size = sizeof(Device),
         .sections =
                 "Unit\0"
                 "Device\0"
diff --git a/src/manager.c b/src/manager.c
index a549209ca6..683197396f 100644
--- a/src/manager.c
+++ b/src/manager.c
@@ -1795,6 +1795,7 @@ unsigned manager_dispatch_load_queue(Manager *m) {
 
 int manager_load_unit_prepare(Manager *m, const char *name, const char *path, DBusError *e, Unit **_ret) {
         Unit *ret;
+        UnitType t;
         int r;
 
         assert(m);
@@ -1811,24 +1812,30 @@ int manager_load_unit_prepare(Manager *m, const char *name, const char *path, DB
         if (!name)
                 name = file_name_from_path(path);
 
-        if (!unit_name_is_valid(name, false)) {
+        t = unit_name_to_type(name);
+
+        if (t == _UNIT_TYPE_INVALID || !unit_name_is_valid_no_type(name, false)) {
                 dbus_set_error(e, BUS_ERROR_INVALID_NAME, "Unit name %s is not valid.", name);
                 return -EINVAL;
         }
 
-        if ((ret = manager_get_unit(m, name))) {
+        ret = manager_get_unit(m, name);
+        if (ret) {
                 *_ret = ret;
                 return 1;
         }
 
-        if (!(ret = unit_new(m)))
+        ret = unit_new(m, unit_vtable[t]->object_size);
+        if (!ret)
                 return -ENOMEM;
 
-        if (path)
-                if (!(ret->meta.fragment_path = strdup(path))) {
+        if (path) {
+                ret->meta.fragment_path = strdup(path);
+                if (!ret->meta.fragment_path) {
                         unit_free(ret);
                         return -ENOMEM;
                 }
+        }
 
         if ((r = unit_add_name(ret, name)) < 0) {
                 unit_free(ret);
diff --git a/src/mount.c b/src/mount.c
index 12c0710f1f..f94c0eb278 100644
--- a/src/mount.c
+++ b/src/mount.c
@@ -1395,13 +1395,16 @@ static int mount_add_one(
         if (!is_path(where))
                 return 0;
 
-        if (!(e = unit_name_from_path(where, ".mount")))
+        e = unit_name_from_path(where, ".mount");
+        if (!e)
                 return -ENOMEM;
 
-        if (!(u = manager_get_unit(m, e))) {
+        u = manager_get_unit(m, e);
+        if (!u) {
                 delete = true;
 
-                if (!(u = unit_new(m))) {
+                u = unit_new(m, sizeof(Mount));
+                if (!u) {
                         free(e);
                         return -ENOMEM;
                 }
@@ -1412,7 +1415,8 @@ static int mount_add_one(
                 if (r < 0)
                         goto fail;
 
-                if (!(MOUNT(u)->where = strdup(where))) {
+                MOUNT(u)->where = strdup(where);
+                if (!MOUNT(u)->where) {
                         r = -ENOMEM;
                         goto fail;
                 }
@@ -1837,6 +1841,7 @@ DEFINE_STRING_TABLE_LOOKUP(mount_exec_command, MountExecCommand);
 
 const UnitVTable mount_vtable = {
         .suffix = ".mount",
+        .object_size = sizeof(Mount),
         .sections =
                 "Unit\0"
                 "Mount\0"
diff --git a/src/path.c b/src/path.c
index 957af05c7e..ae5052aeab 100644
--- a/src/path.c
+++ b/src/path.c
@@ -717,6 +717,7 @@ DEFINE_STRING_TABLE_LOOKUP(path_type, PathType);
 
 const UnitVTable path_vtable = {
         .suffix = ".path",
+        .object_size = sizeof(Path),
         .sections =
                 "Unit\0"
                 "Path\0"
diff --git a/src/service.c b/src/service.c
index 113be34ad0..6ce6b19db9 100644
--- a/src/service.c
+++ b/src/service.c
@@ -3553,6 +3553,7 @@ DEFINE_STRING_TABLE_LOOKUP(notify_access, NotifyAccess);
 
 const UnitVTable service_vtable = {
         .suffix = ".service",
+        .object_size = sizeof(Service),
         .sections =
                 "Unit\0"
                 "Service\0"
diff --git a/src/snapshot.c b/src/snapshot.c
index 270dc4f252..161629d983 100644
--- a/src/snapshot.c
+++ b/src/snapshot.c
@@ -282,6 +282,7 @@ DEFINE_STRING_TABLE_LOOKUP(snapshot_state, SnapshotState);
 
 const UnitVTable snapshot_vtable = {
         .suffix = ".snapshot",
+        .object_size = sizeof(Snapshot),
 
         .no_alias = true,
         .no_instances = true,
diff --git a/src/socket.c b/src/socket.c
index 7034436be0..1a245aa872 100644
--- a/src/socket.c
+++ b/src/socket.c
@@ -2114,6 +2114,7 @@ DEFINE_STRING_TABLE_LOOKUP(socket_exec_command, SocketExecCommand);
 
 const UnitVTable socket_vtable = {
         .suffix = ".socket",
+        .object_size = sizeof(Socket),
         .sections =
                 "Unit\0"
                 "Socket\0"
diff --git a/src/swap.c b/src/swap.c
index 4fa30a3e32..202c4e6625 100644
--- a/src/swap.c
+++ b/src/swap.c
@@ -334,7 +334,8 @@ int swap_add_one(
         assert(m);
         assert(what);
 
-        if (!(e = unit_name_from_path(what, ".swap")))
+        e = unit_name_from_path(what, ".swap");
+        if (!e)
                 return -ENOMEM;
 
         u = manager_get_unit(m, e);
@@ -348,15 +349,18 @@ int swap_add_one(
         if (!u) {
                 delete = true;
 
-                if (!(u = unit_new(m))) {
+                u = unit_new(m, sizeof(Swap));
+                if (!u) {
                         free(e);
                         return -ENOMEM;
                 }
 
-                if ((r = unit_add_name(u, e)) < 0)
+                r = unit_add_name(u, e);
+                if (r < 0)
                         goto fail;
 
-                if (!(SWAP(u)->what = strdup(what))) {
+                SWAP(u)->what = strdup(what);
+                if (!SWAP(u)->what) {
                         r = -ENOMEM;
                         goto fail;
                 }
@@ -1341,6 +1345,7 @@ DEFINE_STRING_TABLE_LOOKUP(swap_exec_command, SwapExecCommand);
 
 const UnitVTable swap_vtable = {
         .suffix = ".swap",
+        .object_size = sizeof(Swap),
         .sections =
                 "Unit\0"
                 "Swap\0"
diff --git a/src/target.c b/src/target.c
index 340e9907f0..b774cfbc33 100644
--- a/src/target.c
+++ b/src/target.c
@@ -199,6 +199,7 @@ DEFINE_STRING_TABLE_LOOKUP(target_state, TargetState);
 
 const UnitVTable target_vtable = {
         .suffix = ".target",
+        .object_size = sizeof(Target),
         .sections =
                 "Unit\0"
                 "Target\0"
diff --git a/src/timer.c b/src/timer.c
index d127a11743..87adb29e7a 100644
--- a/src/timer.c
+++ b/src/timer.c
@@ -468,6 +468,7 @@ DEFINE_STRING_TABLE_LOOKUP(timer_base, TimerBase);
 
 const UnitVTable timer_vtable = {
         .suffix = ".timer",
+        .object_size = sizeof(Timer),
         .sections =
                 "Unit\0"
                 "Timer\0"
diff --git a/src/unit.c b/src/unit.c
index 1fbfb1dea5..fa3c2649b3 100644
--- a/src/unit.c
+++ b/src/unit.c
@@ -57,15 +57,18 @@ const UnitVTable * const unit_vtable[_UNIT_TYPE_MAX] = {
         [UNIT_PATH] = &path_vtable
 };
 
-Unit *unit_new(Manager *m) {
+Unit *unit_new(Manager *m, size_t size) {
         Unit *u;
 
         assert(m);
+        assert(size >= sizeof(Meta));
 
-        if (!(u = new0(Unit, 1)))
+        u = malloc0(size);
+        if (!u)
                 return NULL;
 
-        if (!(u->meta.names = set_new(string_hash_func, string_compare_func))) {
+        u->meta.names = set_new(string_hash_func, string_compare_func);
+        if (!u->meta.names) {
                 free(u);
                 return NULL;
         }
diff --git a/src/unit.h b/src/unit.h
index 19314d6fbd..626bdc43af 100644
--- a/src/unit.h
+++ b/src/unit.h
@@ -286,6 +286,9 @@ union Unit {
 struct UnitVTable {
         const char *suffix;
 
+        /* How much memory does an object of this unit type need */
+        size_t object_size;
+
         /* Config file sections this unit type understands, separated
          * by NUL chars */
         const char *sections;
@@ -435,7 +438,7 @@ DEFINE_CAST(SNAPSHOT, Snapshot);
 DEFINE_CAST(SWAP, Swap);
 DEFINE_CAST(PATH, Path);
 
-Unit *unit_new(Manager *m);
+Unit *unit_new(Manager *m, size_t size);
 void unit_free(Unit *u);
 
 int unit_add_name(Unit *u, const char *name);