diff --git a/neutron/services/l3_router/service_providers/driver_controller.py b/neutron/services/l3_router/service_providers/driver_controller.py
index b572b6e3985..0f8a51b4349 100644
--- a/neutron/services/l3_router/service_providers/driver_controller.py
+++ b/neutron/services/l3_router/service_providers/driver_controller.py
@@ -131,7 +131,12 @@ class DriverController(object):
                 payload.request_body['distributed'] = (payload.states[0]
                                                        ['distributed'])
             if 'ha' not in payload.request_body:
-                payload.request_body['ha'] = payload.states[0]['distributed']
+                payload.request_body['ha'] = payload.states[0]['ha']
+            LOG.debug("Get a provider driver handle based on the ha flag: "
+                      "%(ha_flag)s and distributed flag: %(distributed_flag)s",
+                      {'ha_flag': payload.request_body['ha'],
+                       'distributed_flag':
+                       payload.request_body['distributed']})
             new_drv = self._attrs_to_driver(payload.request_body)
         if new_drv:
             LOG.debug("Router %(id)s migrating from %(old)s provider to "
diff --git a/neutron/tests/unit/services/l3_router/service_providers/test_driver_controller.py b/neutron/tests/unit/services/l3_router/service_providers/test_driver_controller.py
index ca104fce1ec..c6b7960a220 100644
--- a/neutron/tests/unit/services/l3_router/service_providers/test_driver_controller.py
+++ b/neutron/tests/unit/services/l3_router/service_providers/test_driver_controller.py
@@ -103,6 +103,35 @@ class TestDriverController(testlib_api.SqlTestCase):
                         None, request_body={'name': 'testname'},
                         states=({'flavor_id': 'old_fid'},)))
 
+    def test__update_router_provider_with_flags(self):
+        test_dc = driver_controller.DriverController(self.fake_l3)
+        with mock.patch.object(test_dc, "get_provider_for_router"):
+            with mock.patch.object(
+                driver_controller,
+                "_ensure_driver_supports_request") as _ensure:
+                _ensure.side_effect = lib_exc.InvalidInput(
+                    error_message='message')
+                with mock.patch(
+                    "neutron.services.l3_router.service_providers."
+                        "driver_controller.LOG.debug") as mock_log:
+                    self.assertRaises(
+                        lib_exc.InvalidInput,
+                        test_dc._update_router_provider,
+                        None, None, None,
+                        payload=events.DBEventPayload(
+                            None, request_body={'name': 'testname',
+                                'distributed': False},
+                            states=({'flavor_id': None,
+                                'distributed': True, 'ha': False},)))
+                    # To validate that the 'ha' attribute of the router
+                    # stays unchanged from the previous state while
+                    # updating 'distributed' from True to False.
+                    mock_log.assert_any_call(
+                        "Get a provider driver handle based on the ha "
+                        "flag: %(ha_flag)s and distributed flag: "
+                        "%(distributed_flag)s",
+                        {'ha_flag': False, 'distributed_flag': False})
+
     def test__set_router_provider_attr_lookups(self):
         # ensure correct drivers are looked up based on attrs
         router_id1 = uuidutils.generate_uuid()