diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/documenttype/dialogs/editpropertysettings/editpropertysettings.controller.js b/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/documenttype/dialogs/editpropertysettings/editpropertysettings.controller.js
index 458fdbe813..bf005661bb 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/documenttype/dialogs/editpropertysettings/editpropertysettings.controller.js
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/documenttype/dialogs/editpropertysettings/editpropertysettings.controller.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ function EditPropertySettingsController($scope, contentTypeResource) {
     $scope.propertySettings = {};
     $scope.propertySettings.validationTypes = [];
     $scope.propertySettings.showValidationPattern = false;
+    $scope.propertySettings.focusOnPatternField = false;
 
     $scope.selectedValidationType = {};
 
@@ -80,6 +81,12 @@ function EditPropertySettingsController($scope, contentTypeResource) {
       if(selectedValidationType) {
          $scope.model.property.validation.pattern = selectedValidationType.pattern;
          $scope.propertySettings.showValidationPattern = true;
+
+         // set focus on textarea
+         if(selectedValidationType.key === "custom") {
+            $scope.propertySettings.focusOnPatternField = true;
+         }
+
       } else {
          $scope.propertySettings.showValidationPattern = false;
       }
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/documenttype/dialogs/editpropertysettings/editpropertysettings.html b/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/documenttype/dialogs/editpropertysettings/editpropertysettings.html
index 965825b355..1073ea0f4a 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/documenttype/dialogs/editpropertysettings/editpropertysettings.html
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/documenttype/dialogs/editpropertysettings/editpropertysettings.html
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
                 <option value="">Validation</option>
             </select>
 
-            <textarea class="editor-validation-pattern" placeholder="Enter a regular expression" ng-model="model.property.validation.pattern" ng-if="propertySettings.showValidationPattern" umb-auto-resize></textarea>
+            <textarea class="editor-validation-pattern" placeholder="Enter a regular expression" ng-model="model.property.validation.pattern" ng-if="propertySettings.showValidationPattern" umb-auto-resize focus-when="{{propertySettings.focusOnPatternField}}"></textarea>
 
         </div>