diff --git a/flask_oauthlib/client.py b/flask_oauthlib/client.py
index 08afe2d8..fba78a47 100644
--- a/flask_oauthlib/client.py
+++ b/flask_oauthlib/client.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 import logging
 import oauthlib.oauth1
 import oauthlib.oauth2
+import re
 from functools import wraps
 from oauthlib.common import to_unicode
 from urlparse import urljoin, urlparse
@@ -241,7 +242,6 @@ def __init__(
     ):
 
         self.oauth = oauth
-        self.base_url = base_url
         self.name = name
         self.request_token_url = request_token_url
         self.access_token_url = access_token_url
@@ -257,6 +257,13 @@ def __init__(
 
         self._tokengetter = None
 
+        if re.search(r'^http[s]?://.+$', base_url, re.I) is None:
+            message = ('`{0}` isn\'t a valid http url. '
+                       'Missing http(s):// schema.')
+            raise ValueError(message.format(base_url))
+
+        self.base_url = base_url
+
     def make_client(self, token=None):
         # request_token_url is for oauth1
         if self.request_token_url:
diff --git a/tests/test_client.py b/tests/test_client.py
index 6138b5b5..794a6a86 100644
--- a/tests/test_client.py
+++ b/tests/test_client.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 from flask import Flask
 from nose.tools import raises
-from flask_oauthlib.client import encode_request_data, add_query
+from flask_oauthlib.client import encode_request_data, add_query, OAuth
 from .oauth2_client import create_client
 
 
@@ -36,3 +36,21 @@ def test_raise_app():
     app = create_client(app)
     client = app.extensions['oauthlib.client']
     assert client.demo.name == 'dev'
+
+
+@raises(ValueError)
+def test_bad_base_url():
+    app = Flask(__name__)
+    oauth = OAuth(app)
+
+    oauth.remote_app(
+        'dev',
+        consumer_key='dev',
+        consumer_secret='dev',
+        request_token_params={'scope': 'email'},
+        base_url='127.0.0.1:5000/api/',
+        request_token_url=None,
+        access_token_method='GET',
+        access_token_url='http://127.0.0.1:5000/oauth/token',
+        authorize_url='http://127.0.0.1:5000/oauth/authorize'
+    )