diff --git a/src/lib/edje/edje_part_helper.h b/src/lib/edje/edje_part_helper.h
index dbed9b1772..a1c5596c6f 100644
--- a/src/lib/edje/edje_part_helper.h
+++ b/src/lib/edje/edje_part_helper.h
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@ _edje_ ## type ## _internal_proxy_get(Edje_Object *obj EINA_UNUSED, Edje *ed, Ed
    else \
      { \
         PROXY_STATIC_VAR(type) = NULL; \
+        efl_parent_set(proxy, ed->obj); \
+        efl_unref(proxy); /* efl_reuse gives us one additional reference, give this one up as we gave ownerwhip back to ed->obj */\
         _edje_real_part_set(proxy, ed, rp, part); \
      } \
    __VA_ARGS__; \
diff --git a/src/lib/efl/interfaces/efl_interfaces_main.c b/src/lib/efl/interfaces/efl_interfaces_main.c
index d9b10e89d2..f5b8634d68 100644
--- a/src/lib/efl/interfaces/efl_interfaces_main.c
+++ b/src/lib/efl/interfaces/efl_interfaces_main.c
@@ -96,6 +96,12 @@ efl_part(const Eo *obj, const char *name)
    if (!r) return NULL;
 
    efl_event_callback_add(r, EFL_EVENT_NOREF, _noref_death, NULL);
+
+   //ensure that the parts that we have here are never leaked
+   //by checking theire references and ownership details
+   EINA_SAFETY_ON_NULL_RETURN_VAL(efl_parent_get(r), r);
+   EINA_SAFETY_ON_FALSE_RETURN_VAL(efl_ref_count(r) == 1, r);
+
    ___efl_auto_unref_set(r, EINA_TRUE);
 
    return efl_ref(r);
diff --git a/src/tests/edje/edje_test_edje.c b/src/tests/edje/edje_test_edje.c
index 103910d4d3..3a39becdb1 100644
--- a/src/tests/edje/edje_test_edje.c
+++ b/src/tests/edje/edje_test_edje.c
@@ -1043,6 +1043,35 @@ EFL_START_TEST(edje_test_text_cursor)
 }
 EFL_END_TEST
 
+EFL_START_TEST(edje_test_part_caching)
+{
+   Evas *evas = EDJE_TEST_INIT_EVAS();
+   Evas_Object *ly, *o1, *global_p = NULL;
+
+   ly = efl_add(EFL_CANVAS_LAYOUT_CLASS, evas,
+    efl_file_set(efl_added, test_layout_get("test_swallows.edj"), "test_group")
+   );
+
+   for (int i = 0; i < 10; ++i)
+     {
+        Evas_Object *p;
+
+        p = efl_part(ly, "swallow");
+        o1 = efl_content_get(p);
+
+        if (global_p)
+          ck_assert_ptr_eq(global_p, p);
+        global_p = p;
+
+        ck_assert_int_eq(efl_ref_count(p), 1);
+        ck_assert_ptr_eq(efl_parent_get(p), NULL);
+
+     }
+
+   EDJE_TEST_FREE_EVAS();
+}
+EFL_END_TEST
+
 void edje_test_edje(TCase *tc)
 {
    tcase_add_test(tc, edje_test_edje_init);
@@ -1070,4 +1099,5 @@ void edje_test_edje(TCase *tc)
    tcase_add_test(tc, edje_test_signals);
    tcase_add_test(tc, edje_test_signal_callback_del_full);
    tcase_add_test(tc, edje_test_text_cursor);
+   tcase_add_test(tc, edje_test_part_caching);
 }