diff --git a/fs/configfs/inode.c b/fs/configfs/inode.c
index 41645142b88b..cf78d44a8d6a 100644
--- a/fs/configfs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/configfs/inode.c
@@ -72,10 +72,6 @@ int configfs_setattr(struct dentry * dentry, struct iattr * iattr)
 	if (!sd)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	error = simple_setattr(dentry, iattr);
-	if (error)
-		return error;
-
 	sd_iattr = sd->s_iattr;
 	if (!sd_iattr) {
 		/* setting attributes for the first time, allocate now */
@@ -89,9 +85,12 @@ int configfs_setattr(struct dentry * dentry, struct iattr * iattr)
 		sd_iattr->ia_atime = sd_iattr->ia_mtime = sd_iattr->ia_ctime = CURRENT_TIME;
 		sd->s_iattr = sd_iattr;
 	}
-
 	/* attributes were changed atleast once in past */
 
+	error = simple_setattr(dentry, iattr);
+	if (error)
+		return error;
+
 	if (ia_valid & ATTR_UID)
 		sd_iattr->ia_uid = iattr->ia_uid;
 	if (ia_valid & ATTR_GID)
diff --git a/fs/sysfs/inode.c b/fs/sysfs/inode.c
index bde1a4c3679a..0835a3b70e03 100644
--- a/fs/sysfs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/sysfs/inode.c
@@ -117,11 +117,13 @@ int sysfs_setattr(struct dentry *dentry, struct iattr *iattr)
 	if (error)
 		goto out;
 
+	error = sysfs_sd_setattr(sd, iattr);
+	if (error)
+		goto out;
+
 	/* this ignores size changes */
 	generic_setattr(inode, iattr);
 
-	error = sysfs_sd_setattr(sd, iattr);
-
 out:
 	mutex_unlock(&sysfs_mutex);
 	return error;