diff --git a/src/alert-unified-alert.c b/src/alert-unified-alert.c
index 871004b787..75898bd5dc 100644
--- a/src/alert-unified-alert.c
+++ b/src/alert-unified-alert.c
@@ -116,6 +116,11 @@ int AlertUnifiedAlertWriteFileHeader(LogFileCtx *file_ctx) {
     if (file_ctx->flags & LOGFILE_HEADER_WRITTEN)
         return 0;
 
+    if (file_ctx->fp == NULL) {
+        SCLogError(SC_ERR_FOPEN, "file pointer is NULL");
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     /** write the fileheader to the file so the reader can recognize it */
     AlertUnifiedAlertFileHeader hdr;
     hdr.magic = ALERTUNIFIEDALERT_ALERTMAGIC;
@@ -383,7 +388,7 @@ int AlertUnifiedAlertOpenFileCtx(LogFileCtx *file_ctx, const char *prefix)
     if (file_ctx->fp == NULL) {
         SCLogError(SC_ERR_FOPEN, "ERROR: failed to open %s: %s", filename,
             strerror(errno));
-        ret = -1;
+        return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
     }
     file_ctx->flags = 0;
 
diff --git a/src/alert-unified-log.c b/src/alert-unified-log.c
index 24228516d0..71772b19e6 100644
--- a/src/alert-unified-log.c
+++ b/src/alert-unified-log.c
@@ -138,7 +138,8 @@ int AlertUnifiedLogWriteFileHeader(LogFileCtx *file_ctx) {
 
     ret = fwrite(&hdr, sizeof(hdr), 1, file_ctx->fp);
     if (ret != 1) {
-        printf("Error: fwrite failed: ret = %" PRId32 ", %s\n", ret, strerror(errno));
+        SCLogError(SC_ERR_FWRITE, "fwrite failed: ret = %" PRId32 ", %s", ret,
+                strerror(errno));
         return -1;
     }
 
@@ -236,7 +237,7 @@ TmEcode AlertUnifiedLog (ThreadVars *tv, Packet *p, void *data, PacketQueue *pq)
 
         ret = fwrite(buf, buflen, 1, aun->file_ctx->fp);
         if (ret != 1) {
-            printf("Error: fwrite failed: %s\n", strerror(errno));
+            SCLogError(SC_ERR_FWRITE, "fwrite failed: %s", strerror(errno));
             aun->file_ctx->alerts += i;
             SCMutexUnlock(&aun->file_ctx->fp_mutex);
             return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
@@ -262,13 +263,19 @@ TmEcode AlertUnifiedLogThreadInit(ThreadVars *t, void *initdata, void **data)
     memset(aun, 0, sizeof(AlertUnifiedLogThread));
 
     if (initdata == NULL) {
-        SCLogDebug("Error getting context for UnifiedLog.  \"initdata\" argument NULL");
+        SCLogDebug("Error getting context for UnifiedLog. \"initdata\" argument NULL");
         SCFree(aun);
         return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
     }
     /** Use the Ouptut Context (file pointer and mutex) */
     aun->file_ctx = ((OutputCtx *)initdata)->data;
 
+    if (aun->file_ctx->fp == NULL) {
+        SCLogError (SC_ERR_OPENING_FILE, "Target file has not been opened, check"
+                " the write permission");
+        return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
+    }
+
     *data = (void *)aun;
     return TM_ECODE_OK;
 }
@@ -307,7 +314,7 @@ OutputCtx *AlertUnifiedLogInitCtx(ConfNode *conf)
     LogFileCtx* file_ctx=LogFileNewCtx();
 
     if (file_ctx == NULL) {
-        printf("AlertUnifiedLogInitCtx: Couldn't create new file_ctx\n");
+        SCLogError(SC_ERR_MEM_ALLOC, "Couldn't create new file_ctx");
         return NULL;
     }
 
@@ -403,7 +410,7 @@ int AlertUnifiedLogOpenFileCtx(LogFileCtx *file_ctx, const char *prefix)
     if (file_ctx->fp == NULL) {
         SCLogError(SC_ERR_FOPEN, "ERROR: failed to open %s: %s", filename,
             strerror(errno));
-        ret = -1;
+        return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
     }
 
     /** Write Unified header */
diff --git a/src/tm-modules.c b/src/tm-modules.c
index 157f0e9fea..30dd36dc19 100644
--- a/src/tm-modules.c
+++ b/src/tm-modules.c
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ LogFileCtx *LogFileNewCtx()
 
     if(lf_ctx == NULL)
     {
-        printf("LogFileCtxNew: Couldn't SCMalloc \n");
+        SCLogError(SC_ERR_MEM_ALLOC, "Couldn't SCMalloc");
         return NULL;
     }
     memset(lf_ctx, 0, sizeof(LogFileCtx));
diff --git a/src/util-error.c b/src/util-error.c
index 00bb1c2906..bf84f36b4d 100644
--- a/src/util-error.c
+++ b/src/util-error.c
@@ -128,6 +128,8 @@ const char * SCErrorToString(SCError err)
         CASE_CODE (SC_ERR_INVALID_YAML_CONF_ENTRY);
         CASE_CODE (SC_ERR_TMQ_ALREADY_REGISTERED);
         CASE_CODE (SC_ERR_CONFLICTING_RULE_KEYWORDS);
+        CASE_CODE (SC_ERR_INITIALIZATION);
+        CASE_CODE (SC_ERR_UNIFIED_LOG_FILE_HEADER);
         default:
             return "UNKNOWN_ERROR";
     }
diff --git a/src/util-error.h b/src/util-error.h
index fafc13e0a6..7f203e00bf 100644
--- a/src/util-error.h
+++ b/src/util-error.h
@@ -145,6 +145,10 @@ typedef enum {
     SC_ERR_INVALID_YAML_CONF_ENTRY,
     SC_ERR_TMQ_ALREADY_REGISTERED,
     SC_ERR_CONFLICTING_RULE_KEYWORDS,
+    SC_ERR_UNIFIED_LOG_FILE_HEADER,  /**< Error to indicate the unified file
+                                          header writing function has been
+                                          failed */
+
 } SCError;
 
 const char *SCErrorToString(SCError);