diff --git a/lib/classes/event/base.php b/lib/classes/event/base.php
index 531eb593e2d24..6a303f2cd6ec4 100644
--- a/lib/classes/event/base.php
+++ b/lib/classes/event/base.php
@@ -463,6 +463,9 @@ protected final function validate_before_trigger() {
                 if (!$DB->get_manager()->table_exists($this->data['objecttable'])) {
                     debugging('Unknown table specified in objecttable field', DEBUG_DEVELOPER);
                 }
+                if (!isset($this->data['objectid'])) {
+                    debugging('Event property objectid must be set when objecttable is defined', DEBUG_DEVELOPER);
+                }
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/lib/tests/event_test.php b/lib/tests/event_test.php
index dcbec81428f5f..6e1093c3bcc7b 100644
--- a/lib/tests/event_test.php
+++ b/lib/tests/event_test.php
@@ -619,17 +619,21 @@ public function test_bad_events() {
         @$event->trigger();
         $this->assertDebuggingCalled();
 
-        $event = \core_tests\event\bad_event6::create(array('context'=>\context_system::instance()));
+        $event = \core_tests\event\bad_event6::create(array('objectid'=>1, 'context'=>\context_system::instance()));
         $event->trigger();
-        $this->assertDebuggingCalled();
+        $this->assertDebuggingCalled('Unknown table specified in objecttable field');
 
         $event = \core_tests\event\bad_event7::create(array('objectid'=>1, 'context'=>\context_system::instance()));
         try {
             $event->trigger();
-            $this->fail('Exception expected when $data contains objectid by objecttable not specified');
+            $this->fail('Exception expected when $data contains objectid but objecttable not specified');
         } catch (\moodle_exception $e) {
             $this->assertInstanceOf('\coding_exception', $e);
         }
+
+        $event = \core_tests\event\bad_event8::create(array('context'=>\context_system::instance()));
+        $event->trigger();
+        $this->assertDebuggingCalled('Event property objectid must be set when objecttable is defined');
     }
 
     public function test_problematic_events() {
diff --git a/lib/tests/fixtures/event_fixtures.php b/lib/tests/fixtures/event_fixtures.php
index 01275ca9143bb..cce023d38b96f 100644
--- a/lib/tests/fixtures/event_fixtures.php
+++ b/lib/tests/fixtures/event_fixtures.php
@@ -174,6 +174,14 @@ protected function init() {
     }
 }
 
+class bad_event8 extends \core\event\base {
+    protected function init() {
+        $this->data['crud'] = 'c';
+        $this->data['level'] = self::LEVEL_OTHER;
+        $this->data['objecttable'] = 'user';
+    }
+}
+
 class problematic_event1 extends \core\event\base {
     protected function init() {
         $this->data['crud'] = 'u';