diff --git a/backends/hostmem.c b/backends/hostmem.c
index f6db33c14e..7d74be04c3 100644
--- a/backends/hostmem.c
+++ b/backends/hostmem.c
@@ -113,24 +113,17 @@ host_memory_backend_set_host_nodes(Object *obj, Visitor *v, void *opaque,
 #endif
 }
 
-static void
-host_memory_backend_get_policy(Object *obj, Visitor *v, void *opaque,
-                               const char *name, Error **errp)
+static int
+host_memory_backend_get_policy(Object *obj, Error **errp G_GNUC_UNUSED)
 {
     HostMemoryBackend *backend = MEMORY_BACKEND(obj);
-    int policy = backend->policy;
-
-    visit_type_enum(v, &policy, HostMemPolicy_lookup, NULL, name, errp);
+    return backend->policy;
 }
 
 static void
-host_memory_backend_set_policy(Object *obj, Visitor *v, void *opaque,
-                               const char *name, Error **errp)
+host_memory_backend_set_policy(Object *obj, int policy, Error **errp)
 {
     HostMemoryBackend *backend = MEMORY_BACKEND(obj);
-    int policy;
-
-    visit_type_enum(v, &policy, HostMemPolicy_lookup, NULL, name, errp);
     backend->policy = policy;
 
 #ifndef CONFIG_NUMA
@@ -252,9 +245,10 @@ static void host_memory_backend_init(Object *obj)
     object_property_add(obj, "host-nodes", "int",
                         host_memory_backend_get_host_nodes,
                         host_memory_backend_set_host_nodes, NULL, NULL, NULL);
-    object_property_add(obj, "policy", "HostMemPolicy",
-                        host_memory_backend_get_policy,
-                        host_memory_backend_set_policy, NULL, NULL, NULL);
+    object_property_add_enum(obj, "policy", "HostMemPolicy",
+                             HostMemPolicy_lookup,
+                             host_memory_backend_get_policy,
+                             host_memory_backend_set_policy, NULL);
 }
 
 MemoryRegion *
diff --git a/include/qom/object.h b/include/qom/object.h
index a8a53049cb..807978eec7 100644
--- a/include/qom/object.h
+++ b/include/qom/object.h
@@ -1073,7 +1073,7 @@ int64_t object_property_get_int(Object *obj, const char *name,
  * object_property_get_enum:
  * @obj: the object
  * @name: the name of the property
- * @strings: strings corresponding to enums
+ * @typename: the name of the enum data type
  * @errp: returns an error if this function fails
  *
  * Returns: the value of the property, converted to an integer, or
@@ -1081,7 +1081,7 @@ int64_t object_property_get_int(Object *obj, const char *name,
  * an enum).
  */
 int object_property_get_enum(Object *obj, const char *name,
-                             const char * const strings[], Error **errp);
+                             const char *typename, Error **errp);
 
 /**
  * object_property_get_uint16List:
diff --git a/numa.c b/numa.c
index e67322a69b..28c857c66a 100644
--- a/numa.c
+++ b/numa.c
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ static int query_memdev(Object *obj, void *opaque)
 
         m->value->policy = object_property_get_enum(obj,
                                                     "policy",
-                                                    HostMemPolicy_lookup,
+                                                    "HostMemPolicy",
                                                     &err);
         if (err) {
             goto error;
diff --git a/qom/object.c b/qom/object.c
index 8f0d8a7b13..ee384311f9 100644
--- a/qom/object.c
+++ b/qom/object.c
@@ -1076,12 +1076,27 @@ typedef struct EnumProperty {
 } EnumProperty;
 
 int object_property_get_enum(Object *obj, const char *name,
-                             const char * const strings[], Error **errp)
+                             const char *typename, Error **errp)
 {
     StringOutputVisitor *sov;
     StringInputVisitor *siv;
     char *str;
     int ret;
+    ObjectProperty *prop = object_property_find(obj, name, errp);
+    EnumProperty *enumprop;
+
+    if (prop == NULL) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    if (!g_str_equal(prop->type, typename)) {
+        error_setg(errp, "Property %s on %s is not '%s' enum type",
+                   name, object_class_get_name(
+                       object_get_class(obj)), typename);
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    enumprop = prop->opaque;
 
     sov = string_output_visitor_new(false);
     object_property_get(obj, string_output_get_visitor(sov), name, errp);
@@ -1089,7 +1104,7 @@ int object_property_get_enum(Object *obj, const char *name,
     siv = string_input_visitor_new(str);
     string_output_visitor_cleanup(sov);
     visit_type_enum(string_input_get_visitor(siv),
-                    &ret, strings, NULL, name, errp);
+                    &ret, enumprop->strings, NULL, name, errp);
 
     g_free(str);
     string_input_visitor_cleanup(siv);
diff --git a/tests/check-qom-proplist.c b/tests/check-qom-proplist.c
index ae4cd4cde6..7400b1fce9 100644
--- a/tests/check-qom-proplist.c
+++ b/tests/check-qom-proplist.c
@@ -244,6 +244,48 @@ static void test_dummy_badenum(void)
 }
 
 
+static void test_dummy_getenum(void)
+{
+    Error *err = NULL;
+    int val;
+    Object *parent = object_get_objects_root();
+    DummyObject *dobj = DUMMY_OBJECT(
+        object_new_with_props(TYPE_DUMMY,
+                         parent,
+                         "dummy0",
+                         &err,
+                         "av", "platypus",
+                         NULL));
+
+    g_assert(err == NULL);
+    g_assert(dobj->av == DUMMY_PLATYPUS);
+
+    val = object_property_get_enum(OBJECT(dobj),
+                                   "av",
+                                   "DummyAnimal",
+                                   &err);
+    g_assert(err == NULL);
+    g_assert(val == DUMMY_PLATYPUS);
+
+    /* A bad enum type name */
+    val = object_property_get_enum(OBJECT(dobj),
+                                   "av",
+                                   "BadAnimal",
+                                   &err);
+    g_assert(err != NULL);
+    error_free(err);
+    err = NULL;
+
+    /* A non-enum property name */
+    val = object_property_get_enum(OBJECT(dobj),
+                                   "iv",
+                                   "DummyAnimal",
+                                   &err);
+    g_assert(err != NULL);
+    error_free(err);
+}
+
+
 int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
     g_test_init(&argc, &argv, NULL);
@@ -254,6 +296,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     g_test_add_func("/qom/proplist/createlist", test_dummy_createlist);
     g_test_add_func("/qom/proplist/createv", test_dummy_createv);
     g_test_add_func("/qom/proplist/badenum", test_dummy_badenum);
+    g_test_add_func("/qom/proplist/getenum", test_dummy_getenum);
 
     return g_test_run();
 }