diff --git a/src/pe/rigidbody/Owner.h b/src/pe/rigidbody/Owner.h
index 53e15de8816e96d0e91bee393bb1242dce51c9c6..3295ca272ef4ee69ff581f3c6a061da8ff3e6877 100644
--- a/src/pe/rigidbody/Owner.h
+++ b/src/pe/rigidbody/Owner.h
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ struct Owner
    int                  rank_;     //< rank of the owner of the shadow copy
    IBlockID::IDType     blockID_;  //< block id of the block the shadow copy is located in
 
-   Owner(): rank_(-1) {}
+   Owner(): rank_(-1), blockID_(0) {}
    Owner(const int rank, const IBlockID::IDType blockID) : rank_(rank), blockID_(blockID) {}
 };
 //*************************************************************************************************
diff --git a/src/pe/synchronization/SyncNextNeighbors.h b/src/pe/synchronization/SyncNextNeighbors.h
index a546dae5b53fe8a23bee24565f9fa98a6e4a8bbb..83ad74ac0a839491f1d8023696354b61fa7f3cba 100644
--- a/src/pe/synchronization/SyncNextNeighbors.h
+++ b/src/pe/synchronization/SyncNextNeighbors.h
@@ -156,7 +156,6 @@ void generateSynchonizationMessages(mpi::BufferSystem& bs, const Block& block, B
       {
          // Body is no longer locally owned (body is about to be migrated).
          Owner owner( findContainingProcess( block, gpos ) );
-         WALBERLA_ASSERT_UNEQUAL( owner.blockID_, me.blockID_, "Position is " << gpos << "\nlocal Block is: " << block.getAABB() );
 
          WALBERLA_LOG_DETAIL( "Local body " << b->getSystemID() << " is no longer on process " << body->MPITrait.getOwner() << " but on process " << owner );
 
@@ -174,9 +173,10 @@ void generateSynchonizationMessages(mpi::BufferSystem& bs, const Block& block, B
             // of which we own a shadow copy in the next position update since (probably) we no longer require the body but
             // are still part of its registration list.
             continue;
-         }
-         else
+         } else
          {
+            WALBERLA_ASSERT_UNEQUAL( owner.blockID_, me.blockID_, "Position is " << gpos << "\nlocal Block is: " << block.getAABB() );
+
             // New owner found among neighbors.
             WALBERLA_ASSERT_UNEQUAL( owner.blockID_, block.getId().getID(), "Migration is restricted to neighboring blocks." );
 
diff --git a/tests/pe/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/pe/CMakeLists.txt
index 11635dd21f59b545248bd3f7f2bc740dac89a825..bde1a805f1ed64cb52993eba626109dee85ce94a 100644
--- a/tests/pe/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/pe/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -111,10 +111,14 @@ waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATION09 COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNC
 waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATION27 COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATION> PROCESSES 27)
 
 waLBerla_compile_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE FILES SynchronizationDelete.cpp DEPENDS core  )
-waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE01 COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE> )
-waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE03 COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE> PROCESSES  3 LABELS longrun)
-waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE09 COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE> PROCESSES  9 LABELS longrun)
-waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE27 COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE> PROCESSES 27)
+waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE01_NN COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE> )
+waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE03_NN COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE> PROCESSES  3 LABELS longrun)
+waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE09_NN COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE> PROCESSES  9 LABELS longrun)
+waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE27_NN COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE> PROCESSES 27)
+waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE01_SO COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE> --syncShadowOwners )
+waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE03_SO COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE> --syncShadowOwners PROCESSES  3 LABELS longrun)
+waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE09_SO COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE> --syncShadowOwners PROCESSES  9 LABELS longrun)
+waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE27_SO COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONDELETE> --syncShadowOwners PROCESSES 27)
 
 waLBerla_compile_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONLARGEBODY FILES SynchronizationLargeBody.cpp DEPENDS core  )
 waLBerla_execute_test( NAME   PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONLARGEBODY01 COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:PE_SYNCHRONIZATIONLARGEBODY> )
diff --git a/tests/pe/SynchronizationDelete.cpp b/tests/pe/SynchronizationDelete.cpp
index fb40078fd1e4b121b02684800cf22d7c7537a2c0..f3b04cec96c65b7156a9ca56cd0d555a3673deb4 100644
--- a/tests/pe/SynchronizationDelete.cpp
+++ b/tests/pe/SynchronizationDelete.cpp
@@ -61,6 +61,19 @@ int main( int argc, char ** argv )
 //   logging::Logging::instance()->setFileLogLevel( logging::Logging::DETAIL );
 //   logging::Logging::instance()->includeLoggingToFile("SyncLog");
 
+   bool syncShadowOwners = false;
+   for( int i = 1; i < argc; ++i )
+   {
+      if( std::strcmp( argv[i], "--syncShadowOwners" ) == 0 ) syncShadowOwners = true;
+   }
+   if (syncShadowOwners)
+   {
+      WALBERLA_LOG_DEVEL("running with syncShadowOwners");
+   } else
+   {
+      WALBERLA_LOG_DEVEL("running with syncNextNeighbour");
+   }
+
    shared_ptr<BodyStorage> globalBodyStorage = make_shared<BodyStorage> ();
 
    // create blocks
@@ -109,8 +122,17 @@ int main( int argc, char ** argv )
       }
    }
 
+   std::function<void(void)> syncCall;
+   if (!syncShadowOwners)
+   {
+      syncCall = std::bind( pe::syncNextNeighbors<BodyTuple>, std::ref(forest->getBlockForest()), storageID, static_cast<WcTimingTree*>(nullptr), real_c(0.0), false );
+   } else
+   {
+      syncCall = std::bind( pe::syncShadowOwners<BodyTuple>, std::ref(forest->getBlockForest()), storageID, static_cast<WcTimingTree*>(nullptr), real_c(0.0), false );
+   }
+
    for (int i = 0; i < 500; ++i){
-      syncNextNeighbors<BodyTuple>(forest->getBlockForest(), storageID);
+      syncCall();
       integrate(*forest, storageID, real_c(0.1));
    }