diff --git a/src/bin/dhcp4/json_config_parser.cc b/src/bin/dhcp4/json_config_parser.cc
index ddacb7a7cc..2faf1df9be 100644
--- a/src/bin/dhcp4/json_config_parser.cc
+++ b/src/bin/dhcp4/json_config_parser.cc
@@ -152,6 +152,18 @@ protected:
     }
 };
 
+class Pools4ListParser : public PoolsListParser {
+public:
+    Pools4ListParser(const std::string& dummy, PoolStoragePtr pools)
+        :PoolsListParser(dummy, pools) {
+    }
+
+protected:
+    virtual ParserPtr poolParserMaker(PoolStoragePtr storage) {
+        return (ParserPtr(new Pool4Parser("pool", storage)));
+    }
+};
+
 /// @brief This class parses a single IPv4 subnet.
 ///
 /// This is the IPv4 derivation of the SubnetConfigParser class and it parses
@@ -227,8 +239,8 @@ protected:
                    (config_id.compare("client-class") == 0) ||
                    (config_id.compare("next-server") == 0)) {
             parser = new StringParser(config_id, string_values_);
-        } else if (config_id.compare("pool") == 0) {
-            parser = new Pool4Parser(config_id, pools_);
+        } else if (config_id.compare("pools") == 0) {
+            parser = new Pools4ListParser(config_id, pools_);
         } else if (config_id.compare("relay") == 0) {
             parser = new RelayInfoParser(config_id, relay_info_, Option::V4);
         } else if (config_id.compare("option-data") == 0) {
diff --git a/src/lib/dhcpsrv/dhcp_parsers.cc b/src/lib/dhcpsrv/dhcp_parsers.cc
index 856b0ec955..12e22983c3 100644
--- a/src/lib/dhcpsrv/dhcp_parsers.cc
+++ b/src/lib/dhcpsrv/dhcp_parsers.cc
@@ -992,6 +992,11 @@ PoolParser::build(ConstElementPtr pool_structure) {
 
     ConstElementPtr text_pool = pool_structure->get("pool");
 
+    if (!text_pool) {
+        isc_throw(DhcpConfigError, "Mandatory 'pool' entry missing in "
+                  "definition: (" << text_pool->getPosition() << ")");
+    }
+
     // That should be a single pool representation. It should contain
     // text is form prefix/len or first - last. Note that spaces
     // are allowed