diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/PersistentProperty.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/PersistentProperty.java
index 68e9afcad..39e9e6897 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/PersistentProperty.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/PersistentProperty.java
@@ -171,10 +171,10 @@ public interface PersistentProperty<P extends PersistentProperty<P>> {
 	 * Returns the component type of the type if it is a {@link java.util.Collection}. Will return the type of the key if
 	 * the property is a {@link java.util.Map}.
 	 * 
-	 * @return the component type, the map's key type or {@literal null} if neither {@link java.util.Collection} nor
-	 *         {@link java.util.Map}.
+	 * @return the component type, the map's key type or {@link Optional#empty()} if neither {@link java.util.Collection}
+	 *         nor {@link java.util.Map}.
 	 */
-	Class<?> getComponentType();
+	Optional<Class<?>> getComponentType();
 
 	/**
 	 * Returns the raw type as it's pulled from from the reflected property.
@@ -186,9 +186,9 @@ public interface PersistentProperty<P extends PersistentProperty<P>> {
 	/**
 	 * Returns the type of the values if the property is a {@link java.util.Map}.
 	 * 
-	 * @return the map's value type or {@literal null} if no {@link java.util.Map}
+	 * @return the map's value type or {@link Optional#empty()} if no {@link java.util.Map}
 	 */
-	Class<?> getMapValueType();
+	Optional<Class<?>> getMapValueType();
 
 	/**
 	 * Returns the actual type of the property. This will be the original property type if no generics were used, the
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentProperty.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentProperty.java
index b96943744..7a0893d74 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentProperty.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentProperty.java
@@ -250,13 +250,13 @@ public abstract class AbstractPersistentProperty<P extends PersistentProperty<P>
 	 * @see org.springframework.data.mapping.PersistentProperty#getComponentType()
 	 */
 	@Override
-	public Class<?> getComponentType() {
+	public Optional<Class<?>> getComponentType() {
 
 		if (!isMap() && !isCollectionLike()) {
-			return null;
+			return Optional.empty();
 		}
 
-		return information.getRequiredComponentType().getType();
+		return Optional.of(information.getRequiredComponentType().getType());
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -264,8 +264,8 @@ public abstract class AbstractPersistentProperty<P extends PersistentProperty<P>
 	 * @see org.springframework.data.mapping.PersistentProperty#getMapValueType()
 	 */
 	@Override
-	public Class<?> getMapValueType() {
-		return isMap() ? information.getMapValueType().map(TypeInformation::getType).orElse(null) : null;
+	public Optional<Class<?>> getMapValueType() {
+		return isMap() ? information.getMapValueType().map(TypeInformation::getType) : Optional.empty();
 	}
 
 	/* 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/MappingMetadataTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/MappingMetadataTests.java
index 7be4bc1b3..1337fe091 100755
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/MappingMetadataTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/MappingMetadataTests.java
@@ -50,7 +50,8 @@ public class MappingMetadataTests {
 
 		PersistentEntity<?, SamplePersistentProperty> person = ctx.getRequiredPersistentEntity(PersonWithChildren.class);
 
-		person.doWithAssociations((AssociationHandler<SamplePersistentProperty>) association -> assertThat(
-				association.getInverse().getComponentType()).isEqualTo(Child.class));
+		person.doWithAssociations((AssociationHandler<SamplePersistentProperty>) association -> {
+			assertThat(association.getInverse().getComponentType()).hasValue(Child.class);
+		});
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentPropertyUnitTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentPropertyUnitTests.java
index 9d3dcbdb6..1524f5a51 100755
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentPropertyUnitTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentPropertyUnitTests.java
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ public class AbstractPersistentPropertyUnitTests {
 
 	@Test // DATACMNS-68
 	public void discoversComponentTypeCorrectly() throws Exception {
-		assertThat(getProperty(TestClassComplex.class, "testClassSet").getComponentType()).isEqualTo(Object.class);
+		assertThat(getProperty(TestClassComplex.class, "testClassSet").getComponentType()).hasValue(Object.class);
 	}
 
 	@Test // DATACMNS-101