diff --git a/lib/rules/space-unary-ops.js b/lib/rules/space-unary-ops.js
index 5b156fac2292..d9998370bdc5 100644
--- a/lib/rules/space-unary-ops.js
+++ b/lib/rules/space-unary-ops.js
@@ -288,9 +288,11 @@ module.exports = {
         * @returns {void}
         */
         function checkForSpaces(node) {
-            const tokens = sourceCode.getFirstTokens(node, 2),
-                firstToken = tokens[0],
-                secondToken = tokens[1];
+            const tokens = node.type === "UpdateExpression" && !node.prefix
+                ? sourceCode.getLastTokens(node, 2)
+                : sourceCode.getFirstTokens(node, 2);
+            const firstToken = tokens[0];
+            const secondToken = tokens[1];
 
             if ((node.type === "NewExpression" || node.prefix) && firstToken.type === "Keyword") {
                 checkUnaryWordOperatorForSpaces(node, firstToken, secondToken);
diff --git a/tests/lib/rules/space-unary-ops.js b/tests/lib/rules/space-unary-ops.js
index 0da1177b6e8d..d5466bff596f 100644
--- a/tests/lib/rules/space-unary-ops.js
+++ b/tests/lib/rules/space-unary-ops.js
@@ -36,6 +36,13 @@ ruleTester.run("space-unary-ops", rule, {
             code: "this.a--",
             options: [{ words: true }]
         },
+        {
+            code: "foo .bar++"
+        },
+        {
+            code: "foo.bar --",
+            options: [{ nonwords: true }]
+        },
         {
             code: "delete foo.bar",
             options: [{ words: true }]
@@ -417,6 +424,21 @@ ruleTester.run("space-unary-ops", rule, {
                 message: "Unary operator '++' must be followed by whitespace."
             }]
         },
+        {
+            code: "foo .bar++",
+            output: "foo .bar ++",
+            options: [{ nonwords: true }],
+            errors: [{
+                message: "Space is required before unary expressions '++'."
+            }]
+        },
+        {
+            code: "foo.bar --",
+            output: "foo.bar--",
+            errors: [{
+                message: "Unexpected space before unary operator '--'."
+            }]
+        },
         {
             code: "+ +foo",
             output: null,