diff --git a/ip/ipaddress.c b/ip/ipaddress.c
index 1b8ab783..7acbd32e 100644
--- a/ip/ipaddress.c
+++ b/ip/ipaddress.c
@@ -2247,7 +2247,10 @@ static int ipaddr_modify(int cmd, int flags, int argc, char **argv)
 			if (set_lifetime(&preferred_lft, *argv))
 				invarg("preferred_lft value", *argv);
 		} else if (strcmp(*argv, "home") == 0) {
-			ifa_flags |= IFA_F_HOMEADDRESS;
+			if (req.ifa.ifa_family == AF_INET6)
+				ifa_flags |= IFA_F_HOMEADDRESS;
+			else
+				fprintf(stderr, "Warning: home option can be set only for IPv6 addresses\n");
 		} else if (strcmp(*argv, "nodad") == 0) {
 			if (req.ifa.ifa_family == AF_INET6)
 				ifa_flags |= IFA_F_NODAD;