diff --git a/src/devices/nm-device.c b/src/devices/nm-device.c
index 86c4b3373a..651390db60 100644
--- a/src/devices/nm-device.c
+++ b/src/devices/nm-device.c
@@ -9577,9 +9577,8 @@ nm_device_activate_ip6_state_done (NMDevice *self)
 /*****************************************************************************/
 
 static void
-act_request_set_cb (NMActRequest *act_request,
-                    GParamSpec *pspec,
-                    NMDevice *self)
+act_request_exported_changed (NMActRequest *act_request,
+                              NMDevice *self)
 {
 	_notify (self, PROP_ACTIVE_CONNECTION);
 }
@@ -9610,8 +9609,8 @@ act_request_set (NMDevice *self, NMActRequest *act_request)
 
 	if (act_request) {
 		priv->act_request_id = g_signal_connect (act_request,
-		                                         "notify::"NM_DBUS_OBJECT_PATH,
-		                                         G_CALLBACK (act_request_set_cb),
+		                                         NM_DBUS_OBJECT_EXPORTED_CHANGED,
+		                                         G_CALLBACK (act_request_exported_changed),
 		                                         self);
 
 		switch (nm_active_connection_get_activation_type (NM_ACTIVE_CONNECTION (act_request))) {
@@ -15220,7 +15219,7 @@ get_property (GObject *object, guint prop_id,
 		                      g_variant_new ("(uu)", priv->state, priv->state_reason));
 		break;
 	case PROP_ACTIVE_CONNECTION:
-		nm_dbus_utils_g_value_set_object_path (value, priv->act_request_public ? priv->act_request : NULL);
+		nm_dbus_utils_g_value_set_object_path_still_exported (value, priv->act_request_public ? priv->act_request : NULL);
 		break;
 	case PROP_DEVICE_TYPE:
 		g_value_set_uint (value, priv->type);
diff --git a/src/nm-dbus-object.c b/src/nm-dbus-object.c
index cd3a23509e..014f30f40c 100644
--- a/src/nm-dbus-object.c
+++ b/src/nm-dbus-object.c
@@ -37,9 +37,13 @@ nm_dbus_object_set_quitting (void)
 
 /*****************************************************************************/
 
-NM_GOBJECT_PROPERTIES_DEFINE (NMDBusObject,
-	PROP_PATH,
-);
+enum {
+	EXPORTED_CHANGED,
+
+	LAST_SIGNAL,
+};
+
+static guint signals[LAST_SIGNAL] = { 0 };
 
 G_DEFINE_ABSTRACT_TYPE (NMDBusObject, nm_dbus_object, G_TYPE_OBJECT);
 
@@ -53,6 +57,12 @@ G_DEFINE_ABSTRACT_TYPE (NMDBusObject, nm_dbus_object, G_TYPE_OBJECT);
 
 /*****************************************************************************/
 
+static void
+_emit_exported_changed (NMDBusObject *self)
+{
+	g_signal_emit (self, signals[EXPORTED_CHANGED], 0);
+}
+
 static char *
 _create_export_path (NMDBusObjectClass *klass)
 {
@@ -107,6 +117,8 @@ nm_dbus_object_export (NMDBusObject *self)
 
 	g_return_val_if_fail (!self->internal.path, self->internal.path);
 
+	nm_assert (!self->internal.is_unexporting);
+
 	self->internal.path = _create_export_path (NM_DBUS_OBJECT_GET_CLASS (self));
 
 	self->internal.export_version_id = ++id_counter;
@@ -115,7 +127,7 @@ nm_dbus_object_export (NMDBusObject *self)
 
 	_nm_dbus_manager_obj_export (self);
 
-	_notify (self, PROP_PATH);
+	_emit_exported_changed (self);
 	return self->internal.path;
 }
 
@@ -135,12 +147,27 @@ nm_dbus_object_unexport (NMDBusObject *self)
 
 	_LOGT ("unexport: \"%s\"", self->internal.path);
 
+	/* note that we emit the signal *before* actually unexporting the object.
+	 * The reason is, that listeners want to use this signal to know that
+	 * the object goes away, and clear their D-Bus path to this object.
+	 *
+	 * But this must happen before we actually unregister the object, so
+	 * that we first emit a D-Bus signal that other objects no longer
+	 * reference this object, before finally unregistering the object itself.
+	 *
+	 * The inconvenient part is, that at this point nm_dbus_object_get_path()
+	 * still returns the path. So, the callee needs to handle that. Possibly
+	 * by using "nm_dbus_object_get_path_still_exported()". */
+	self->internal.is_unexporting = TRUE;
+
+	_emit_exported_changed (self);
+
 	_nm_dbus_manager_obj_unexport (self);
 
 	g_clear_pointer (&self->internal.path, g_free);
 	self->internal.export_version_id = 0;
 
-	_notify (self, PROP_PATH);
+	self->internal.is_unexporting = FALSE;
 }
 
 /*****************************************************************************/
@@ -204,22 +231,6 @@ nm_dbus_object_emit_signal (NMDBusObject *self,
 
 /*****************************************************************************/
 
-static void
-get_property (GObject *object, guint prop_id,
-              GValue *value, GParamSpec *pspec)
-{
-	NMDBusObject *self = NM_DBUS_OBJECT (object);
-
-	switch (prop_id) {
-	case PROP_PATH:
-		g_value_set_string (value, self->internal.path);
-		break;
-	default:
-		G_OBJECT_WARN_INVALID_PROPERTY_ID (object, prop_id, pspec);
-		break;
-	}
-}
-
 static void
 dispatch_properties_changed (GObject *object,
                              guint n_pspecs,
@@ -284,10 +295,11 @@ dispose (GObject *object)
 			g_warn_if_reached ();
 			nm_dbus_object_unexport (self);
 		}
-	} else if (nm_clear_g_free (&self->internal.path)) {
+	} else if (self->internal.path) {
 		/* FIXME: do a proper, coordinate shutdown, so that no objects stay
 		 * alive nor exported. */
-		_notify (self, PROP_PATH);
+		_emit_exported_changed (self);
+		nm_clear_g_free (&self->internal.path);
 	}
 
 	G_OBJECT_CLASS (nm_dbus_object_parent_class)->dispose (object);
@@ -302,14 +314,13 @@ nm_dbus_object_class_init (NMDBusObjectClass *klass)
 
 	object_class->constructed = constructed;
 	object_class->dispose = dispose;
-	object_class->get_property = get_property;
 	object_class->dispatch_properties_changed = dispatch_properties_changed;
 
-	obj_properties[PROP_PATH] =
-	    g_param_spec_string (NM_DBUS_OBJECT_PATH, "", "",
-	                         NULL,
-	                         G_PARAM_READABLE |
-	                         G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
-
-	g_object_class_install_properties (object_class, _PROPERTY_ENUMS_LAST, obj_properties);
+	signals[EXPORTED_CHANGED] =
+	    g_signal_new (NM_DBUS_OBJECT_EXPORTED_CHANGED,
+	                  G_OBJECT_CLASS_TYPE (object_class),
+	                  G_SIGNAL_RUN_FIRST,
+	                  0, NULL, NULL,
+	                  g_cclosure_marshal_VOID__VOID,
+	                  G_TYPE_NONE, 0);
 }
diff --git a/src/nm-dbus-object.h b/src/nm-dbus-object.h
index f6629289a5..947ea6c7dd 100644
--- a/src/nm-dbus-object.h
+++ b/src/nm-dbus-object.h
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ extern const NMDBusInterfaceInfoExtended nm_interface_info_device_statistics;
 #define NM_IS_DBUS_OBJECT_CLASS(klass) (G_TYPE_CHECK_CLASS_TYPE ((klass),  NM_TYPE_DBUS_OBJECT))
 #define NM_DBUS_OBJECT_GET_CLASS(obj)  (G_TYPE_INSTANCE_GET_CLASS ((obj),  NM_TYPE_DBUS_OBJECT, NMDBusObjectClass))
 
-#define NM_DBUS_OBJECT_PATH "path"
+#define NM_DBUS_OBJECT_EXPORTED_CHANGED "exported-changed"
 
 /* NMDBusObject and NMDBusManager cooperate strongly. Hence, there is an
  * internal data structure attached to the NMDBusObject accessible to both of them. */
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ struct _NMDBusObjectInternal {
 	 * unexported, or even re-exported afterwards. If that happens, we want
 	 * to fail the request. For that, we keep track of a version id.  */
 	guint64 export_version_id;
+	bool is_unexporting:1;
 };
 
 struct _NMDBusObject {
@@ -169,6 +170,18 @@ nm_dbus_object_is_exported (NMDBusObject *self)
 	return !!nm_dbus_object_get_path (self);
 }
 
+static inline const char *
+nm_dbus_object_get_path_still_exported (NMDBusObject *self)
+{
+	g_return_val_if_fail (NM_IS_DBUS_OBJECT (self), NULL);
+
+	/* like nm_dbus_object_get_path(), however, while unexporting
+	 * (exported-changed signal), returns %NULL instead of the path. */
+	return self->internal.is_unexporting
+	       ? NULL
+	       : self->internal.path;
+}
+
 const char *nm_dbus_object_export      (NMDBusObject *self);
 void        nm_dbus_object_unexport    (NMDBusObject *self);
 
diff --git a/src/nm-dbus-utils.c b/src/nm-dbus-utils.c
index 7f7fb27873..b79cc34371 100644
--- a/src/nm-dbus-utils.c
+++ b/src/nm-dbus-utils.c
@@ -120,6 +120,20 @@ nm_dbus_utils_g_value_set_object_path (GValue *value, gpointer object)
 		g_value_set_string (value, "/");
 }
 
+void
+nm_dbus_utils_g_value_set_object_path_still_exported (GValue *value, gpointer object)
+{
+	const char *path;
+
+	g_return_if_fail (!object || NM_IS_DBUS_OBJECT (object));
+
+	if (   object
+	    && (path = nm_dbus_object_get_path_still_exported (object)))
+		g_value_set_string (value, path);
+	else
+		g_value_set_string (value, "/");
+}
+
 void
 nm_dbus_utils_g_value_set_object_path_from_hash (GValue *value,
                                                  GHashTable *hash /* has keys of NMDBusObject type. */,
diff --git a/src/nm-dbus-utils.h b/src/nm-dbus-utils.h
index 62945cf14e..3107a29c82 100644
--- a/src/nm-dbus-utils.h
+++ b/src/nm-dbus-utils.h
@@ -173,6 +173,8 @@ const char **nm_dbus_utils_get_paths_for_clist (const struct CList *lst_head,
 
 void nm_dbus_utils_g_value_set_object_path (GValue *value, gpointer object);
 
+void nm_dbus_utils_g_value_set_object_path_still_exported (GValue *value, gpointer object);
+
 void nm_dbus_utils_g_value_set_object_path_from_hash (GValue *value,
                                                       GHashTable *hash,
                                                       gboolean expect_all_exported);