diff --git a/lib/core/api/src/lib/adf-http-client.service.spec.ts b/lib/core/api/src/lib/adf-http-client.service.spec.ts
index 70e77d9172..d95ccbbfa1 100644
--- a/lib/core/api/src/lib/adf-http-client.service.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/core/api/src/lib/adf-http-client.service.spec.ts
@@ -213,6 +213,23 @@ describe('AdfHttpClient', () => {
         req.flush(errorResponse, { status: 403, statusText: 'Forbidden' });
     });
 
+    it('should return a meaningful error message when response body is null', (done) => {
+        const options: RequestOptions = {
+            path: '',
+            httpMethod: 'POST'
+        };
+
+        angularHttpClient.request('http://example.com', options, securityOptions, emitters).catch((err: AlfrescoApiResponseError) => {
+            expect(err instanceof Error).toBeTruthy();
+            expect(err.message).toBe('401 Unauthorized');
+            expect(err.status).toBe(401);
+            done();
+        });
+
+        const req = controller.expectOne('http://example.com');
+        req.flush(null, { status: 401, statusText: 'Unauthorized' });
+    });
+
     it('should return a Error type on failed promise with response body', (done) => {
         const options: RequestOptions = {
             path: '',
diff --git a/lib/core/api/src/lib/adf-http-client.service.ts b/lib/core/api/src/lib/adf-http-client.service.ts
index 81fb4d8768..19e8c3d23f 100644
--- a/lib/core/api/src/lib/adf-http-client.service.ts
+++ b/lib/core/api/src/lib/adf-http-client.service.ts
@@ -223,7 +223,14 @@ export class AdfHttpClient implements JsApiHttpClient {
                     // for backwards compatibility we need to convert it to error class as the HttpErrorResponse only implements Error interface, not extending it,
                     // and we need to be able to correctly pass instanceof Error conditions used inside repository
                     // we also need to pass error as Stringify string as we are detecting statusCodes using JSON.parse(error.message) in some places
-                    const msg = typeof err.error === 'string' ? err.error : JSON.stringify(err.error);
+                    let msg: string;
+                    if (err.error == null) {
+                        msg = `${err.status} ${err.statusText ?? 'Unknown error'}`;
+                    } else if (typeof err.error === 'string') {
+                        msg = err.error;
+                    } else {
+                        msg = JSON.stringify(err.error);
+                    }
 
                     // for backwards compatibility to handle cases in code where we try read response.error.response.body;