diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/AssetsController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/AssetsController.php
index 0f1879ba50..c67571b731 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/AssetsController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/AssetsController.php
@@ -626,8 +626,10 @@ class AssetsController extends Controller
         $asset->fill($request->validated());
 
         // TODO: how much of this can go in the validator?
-        ($request->filled('model_id')) ?
-            $asset->model()->associate(AssetModel::find($request->get('model_id'))) : null;
+        // this is _always_ filled now, see UpdateAssetRequest
+        // i'm leaving this here for now, but when would we ever want model_id to be `null`??
+        ($request->validated()['model_id']) ?
+            $asset->model()->associate(AssetModel::find($request->validated()['model_id'])) : null;
         ($request->filled('rtd_location_id')) ?
             $asset->location_id = $request->get('rtd_location_id') : '';
         ($request->filled('company_id')) ?
diff --git a/app/Http/Requests/UpdateAssetRequest.php b/app/Http/Requests/UpdateAssetRequest.php
index 7fd2826f1d..afee0fb904 100644
--- a/app/Http/Requests/UpdateAssetRequest.php
+++ b/app/Http/Requests/UpdateAssetRequest.php
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ class UpdateAssetRequest extends ImageUploadRequest
         $rules = array_merge(
             (new Asset())->getRules(),
             parent::rules(),
-        //['model_id' => 'required|integer|exists:models,id,deleted_at,NULL|not_array']
         );
 
         return $rules;