diff --git a/fs/hostfs/hostfs_kern.c b/fs/hostfs/hostfs_kern.c
index 79783a0b2f4d0280069c791315ad847724aeeba4..8130ce93a06a7fd25e9a962eca7bb43a17e3f51a 100644
--- a/fs/hostfs/hostfs_kern.c
+++ b/fs/hostfs/hostfs_kern.c
@@ -622,11 +622,12 @@ int hostfs_unlink(struct inode *ino, struct dentry *dentry)
 	char *file;
 	int err;
 
-	if ((file = dentry_name(dentry)) == NULL)
-		return -ENOMEM;
 	if (append)
 		return -EPERM;
 
+	if ((file = dentry_name(dentry)) == NULL)
+		return -ENOMEM;
+
 	err = unlink_file(file);
 	__putname(file);
 	return err;