diff --git a/evennia/commands/default/building.py b/evennia/commands/default/building.py
index 0437260930..1dc61f1bdf 100644
--- a/evennia/commands/default/building.py
+++ b/evennia/commands/default/building.py
@@ -1695,9 +1695,9 @@ class CmdSetAttribute(ObjManipCommand):
                 if nested_keys:
                     del_key = nested_keys[-1]
                     val = obj.attributes.get(key)
-                    val = self.do_nested_lookup(val, *nested_keys[:-1])
-                    if val is not self.not_found:
-                        del val[del_key]
+                    deep = self.do_nested_lookup(val, *nested_keys[:-1])
+                    if deep is not self.not_found:
+                        del deep[del_key]
                         obj.attributes.add(key, val)
                     return "\nDeleted attribute '%s' (= nested) from %s." % (attr, obj.name)
                 else:
diff --git a/evennia/commands/default/tests.py b/evennia/commands/default/tests.py
index f54be20150..56e600e2b4 100644
--- a/evennia/commands/default/tests.py
+++ b/evennia/commands/default/tests.py
@@ -566,6 +566,10 @@ class TestBuilding(CommandTest):
                   "Obj/test3=[{'one': 1}]", "Created attribute Obj/test3 = [{'one': 1}]")
         self.call(building.CmdSetAttribute(), "Obj/test3[0]['one']", "Attribute Obj/test3[0]['one'] = 1")
         self.call(building.CmdSetAttribute(), "Obj/test3[0]", "Attribute Obj/test3[0] = {'one': 1}")
+        self.call(building.CmdSetAttribute(),
+                  "Obj/test3[0]['one'] =", "Deleted attribute 'test3[0]['one']' (= nested) from Obj.")
+        self.call(building.CmdSetAttribute(), "Obj/test3[0]", "Attribute Obj/test3[0] = {}")
+        self.call(building.CmdSetAttribute(), "Obj/test3", "Attribute Obj/test3 = [{}]")
 
         # Naughty keys
         self.call(building.CmdSetAttribute(),