diff --git a/letsencrypt/storage.py b/letsencrypt/storage.py
index 08b48ff5e..e41805459 100644
--- a/letsencrypt/storage.py
+++ b/letsencrypt/storage.py
@@ -128,6 +128,17 @@ class RenewableCert(object):  # pylint: disable=too-many-instance-attributes
         self.fullchain = self.configuration["fullchain"]
 
         self._fix_symlinks()
+        self._check_symlinks()
+
+    def _check_symlinks(self):
+        """Raises an exception if a symlink doesn't exist"""
+        def check(link):
+            """Checks if symlink points to a file that exists"""
+            return os.path.exists(os.path.realpath(link))
+        for kind in ALL_FOUR:
+            if not check(getattr(self, kind)):
+                raise errors.CertStorageError(
+                        "link: {0} does not exist".format(getattr(self, kind)))
 
     def _consistent(self):
         """Are the files associated with this lineage self-consistent?
diff --git a/letsencrypt/tests/renewer_test.py b/letsencrypt/tests/renewer_test.py
index 7030e4998..3c8e3cb95 100644
--- a/letsencrypt/tests/renewer_test.py
+++ b/letsencrypt/tests/renewer_test.py
@@ -76,7 +76,10 @@ class BaseRenewableCertTest(unittest.TestCase):
         junk.close()
 
         self.defaults = configobj.ConfigObj()
-        self.test_rc = storage.RenewableCert(config.filename, self.cli_config)
+
+        with mock.patch("letsencrypt.storage.RenewableCert._check_symlinks") as check:
+            check.return_value = True
+            self.test_rc = storage.RenewableCert(config.filename, self.cli_config)
 
     def tearDown(self):
         shutil.rmtree(self.tempdir)
@@ -786,6 +789,12 @@ class RenewableCertTests(BaseRenewableCertTest):
         renewer.main(cli_args=self._common_cli_args())
         # The errors.CertStorageError is caught inside and nothing happens.
 
+    def test_missing_cert(self):
+        from letsencrypt import storage
+        self.assertRaises(errors.CertStorageError,
+                          storage.RenewableCert,
+                          self.config.filename, self.cli_config)
+
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()  # pragma: no cover