diff --git a/neutron/agent/l3/ha_router.py b/neutron/agent/l3/ha_router.py
index 061f35a28d1..23c753d16fe 100644
--- a/neutron/agent/l3/ha_router.py
+++ b/neutron/agent/l3/ha_router.py
@@ -439,7 +439,8 @@ class HaRouter(router.RouterInfo):
                                prefix=router.EXTERNAL_DEV_PREFIX)
 
     def delete(self):
-        self.destroy_state_change_monitor(self.process_monitor)
+        if self.process_monitor:
+            self.destroy_state_change_monitor(self.process_monitor)
         self.disable_keepalived()
         self.ha_network_removed()
         super(HaRouter, self).delete()
diff --git a/neutron/agent/l3/router_info.py b/neutron/agent/l3/router_info.py
index 1a9cf152a5b..f578a9e5e2d 100644
--- a/neutron/agent/l3/router_info.py
+++ b/neutron/agent/l3/router_info.py
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ class RouterInfo(object):
         self.routes = []
         self.agent_conf = agent_conf
         self.driver = interface_driver
+        self.process_monitor = None
         # radvd is a neutron.agent.linux.ra.DaemonMonitor
         self.radvd = None
 
diff --git a/neutron/tests/unit/agent/l3/test_agent.py b/neutron/tests/unit/agent/l3/test_agent.py
index 357e7cadeb7..5b292d9293f 100644
--- a/neutron/tests/unit/agent/l3/test_agent.py
+++ b/neutron/tests/unit/agent/l3/test_agent.py
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ from testtools import matchers
 from neutron.agent.l3 import agent as l3_agent
 from neutron.agent.l3 import dvr_edge_router as dvr_router
 from neutron.agent.l3 import dvr_snat_ns
+from neutron.agent.l3 import ha_router
 from neutron.agent.l3 import legacy_router
 from neutron.agent.l3 import link_local_allocator as lla
 from neutron.agent.l3 import namespace_manager
@@ -3504,3 +3505,22 @@ class TestBasicRouterOperations(BasicRouterOperationsFramework):
             ri._create_dvr_gateway(ex_gw_port, interface_name)
             self._verify_address_scopes_iptables_rule(
                 ri.snat_iptables_manager)
+
+    @mock.patch.object(l3router.RouterInfo, 'delete')
+    @mock.patch.object(ha_router.HaRouter, 'destroy_state_change_monitor')
+    def test_delete_ha_router_initialize_fails(self, mock_dscm, mock_delete):
+        router = l3_test_common.prepare_router_data(enable_ha=True)
+        router[lib_constants.HA_INTERFACE_KEY] = None
+        agent = l3_agent.L3NATAgent(HOSTNAME, self.conf)
+        # an early failure of an HA router initiailization shouldn't try
+        # and cleanup a state change monitor process that was never spawned.
+        # Cannot use self.assertRaises(Exception, ...) as that causes an H202
+        # pep8 failure.
+        try:
+            agent._router_added(router['id'], router)
+            raise Exception("agent._router_added() should have raised an "
+                            "exception")
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+        self.assertTrue(mock_delete.called)
+        self.assertFalse(mock_dscm.called)