diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/Models/UserExtensions.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/Models/UserExtensions.cs
index fe90ec8bfb..e7035caf10 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/Models/UserExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/Models/UserExtensions.cs
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Models
 
         internal static bool IsInBranchOfStartNode(string path, int[] startNodeIds, string[] startNodePaths, out bool hasPathAccess)
         {
-            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(path)) throw new ArgumentException("Value cannot be null or whitespace.", "path");
+            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(path)) throw new ArgumentException("Value cannot be null or whitespace.", nameof(path));
 
             hasPathAccess = false;
 
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Models
             var ancestor = startNodePaths.Any(x => x.StartsWith(path));
             if (ancestor)
             {
-                hasPathAccess = false;
+                //hasPathAccess = false;
                 return true;
             }
 
@@ -328,13 +328,11 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Models
         private static T FromUserCache<T>(IUser user, string cacheKey)
             where T: class
         {
-            var entityUser = user as User;
-            if (entityUser == null) return null;
+            if (!(user is User entityUser)) return null;
 
             lock (entityUser.AdditionalDataLock)
             {
-                object allContentStartNodes;
-                return entityUser.AdditionalData.TryGetValue(cacheKey, out allContentStartNodes)
+                return entityUser.AdditionalData.TryGetValue(cacheKey, out var allContentStartNodes)
                     ? allContentStartNodes as T
                     : null;
             }
@@ -343,8 +341,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Models
         private static void ToUserCache<T>(IUser user, string cacheKey, T vals)
             where T: class
         {
-            var entityUser = user as User;
-            if (entityUser == null) return;
+            if (!(user is User entityUser)) return;
 
             lock (entityUser.AdditionalDataLock)
             {
@@ -369,7 +366,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Models
                     binPath += Constants.System.RecycleBinMedia;
                     break;
                 default:
-                    throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException("objectType");
+                    throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(nameof(objectType));
             }
             return binPath;
         }
@@ -379,7 +376,9 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Models
             // assume groupSn and userSn each don't contain duplicates
 
             var asn = groupSn.Concat(userSn).Distinct().ToArray();
-            var paths = entityService.GetAllPaths(objectType, asn).ToDictionary(x => x.Id, x => x.Path);
+            var paths = asn.Length > 0
+                ? entityService.GetAllPaths(objectType, asn).ToDictionary(x => x.Id, x => x.Path)
+                : new Dictionary<int, string>();
 
             paths[Constants.System.Root] = Constants.System.Root.ToString(); // entityService does not get that one
 
@@ -388,8 +387,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Models
             var lsn = new List<int>();
             foreach (var sn in groupSn)
             {
-                string snp;
-                if (paths.TryGetValue(sn, out snp) == false) continue; // ignore rogue node (no path)
+                if (paths.TryGetValue(sn, out var snp) == false) continue; // ignore rogue node (no path)
 
                 if (StartsWithPath(snp, binPath)) continue; // ignore bin
 
@@ -401,8 +399,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Models
             var usn = new List<int>();
             foreach (var sn in userSn)
             {
-                string snp;
-                if (paths.TryGetValue(sn, out snp) == false) continue; // ignore rogue node (no path)
+                if (paths.TryGetValue(sn, out var snp) == false) continue; // ignore rogue node (no path)
 
                 if (StartsWithPath(snp, binPath)) continue; // ignore bin
 
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/PropertyEditors/NestedContentConfiguration.cs b/src/Umbraco.Web/PropertyEditors/NestedContentConfiguration.cs
index 44648ee859..b1ea7c633a 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web/PropertyEditors/NestedContentConfiguration.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/PropertyEditors/NestedContentConfiguration.cs
@@ -18,12 +18,15 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.PropertyEditors
         public int? MaxItems { get; set; }
 
         [ConfigurationField("confirmDeletes", "Confirm Deletes", "boolean", Description = "Set whether item deletions should require confirming.")]
+        [JsonProperty(NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore)] // do not try to map a null value to a boolean
         public bool ConfirmDeletes { get; set; } = true;
 
         [ConfigurationField("showIcons", "Show Icons", "boolean", Description = "Set whether to show the items doc type icon in the list.")]
+        [JsonProperty(NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore)] // do not try to map a null value to a boolean
         public bool ShowIcons { get; set; } = true;
 
         [ConfigurationField("hideLabel", "Hide Label", "boolean", Description = "Set whether to hide the editor label and have the list take up the full width of the editor window.")]
+        [JsonProperty(NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore)] // do not try to map a null value to a boolean
         public bool HideLabel { get; set; }
 
         public class ContentType
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/PropertyEditors/NestedContentPropertyEditor.cs b/src/Umbraco.Web/PropertyEditors/NestedContentPropertyEditor.cs
index b5e9ffa8a0..3fbbab1510 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web/PropertyEditors/NestedContentPropertyEditor.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/PropertyEditors/NestedContentPropertyEditor.cs
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.PropertyEditors
                             {
                                 // convert the value, and store the converted value
                                 var propEditor = _propertyEditors[propType.PropertyEditorAlias];
-                                var convValue = propEditor.ValueEditor.ConvertDbToString(propType, propValues[propAlias], dataTypeService);
+                                var convValue = propEditor.ValueEditor.ConvertDbToString(propType, propValues[propAlias]?.ToString(), dataTypeService);
                                 propValues[propAlias] = convValue;
                             }
                             catch (InvalidOperationException)