diff --git a/spring-data-rest-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/config/RepositoryRestConfiguration.java b/spring-data-rest-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/config/RepositoryRestConfiguration.java
index 4d8d7de1a..aa0f4fde2 100644
--- a/spring-data-rest-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/config/RepositoryRestConfiguration.java
+++ b/spring-data-rest-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/config/RepositoryRestConfiguration.java
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.data.rest.core.config;
 
+import lombok.Getter;
+import lombok.NonNull;
+import lombok.Setter;
+
 import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collections;
@@ -25,6 +29,8 @@ import org.springframework.data.rest.core.mapping.RepositoryDetectionStrategy;
 import org.springframework.data.rest.core.mapping.RepositoryDetectionStrategy.RepositoryDetectionStrategies;
 import org.springframework.data.rest.core.support.EntityLookup;
 import org.springframework.hateoas.MediaTypes;
+import org.springframework.hateoas.RelProvider;
+import org.springframework.hateoas.core.EvoInflectorRelProvider;
 import org.springframework.http.MediaType;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
@@ -60,6 +66,11 @@ public class RepositoryRestConfiguration {
 	private ResourceMappingConfiguration repoMappings = new ResourceMappingConfiguration();
 	private RepositoryDetectionStrategy repositoryDetectionStrategy = RepositoryDetectionStrategies.DEFAULT;
 
+	/**
+	 * The {@link RelProvider} to be used to calculate the link relation defaults for repositories.
+	 */
+	private @Getter @Setter @NonNull RelProvider relProvider = new EvoInflectorRelProvider();
+
 	private final RepositoryCorsRegistry corsRegistry = new RepositoryCorsRegistry();
 	private final ProjectionDefinitionConfiguration projectionConfiguration;
 	private final MetadataConfiguration metadataConfiguration;
diff --git a/spring-data-rest-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/mapping/RepositoryCollectionResourceMapping.java b/spring-data-rest-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/mapping/RepositoryCollectionResourceMapping.java
index f1e6a123f..b3cd7460a 100644
--- a/spring-data-rest-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/mapping/RepositoryCollectionResourceMapping.java
+++ b/spring-data-rest-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/mapping/RepositoryCollectionResourceMapping.java
@@ -47,19 +47,19 @@ class RepositoryCollectionResourceMapping implements CollectionResourceMapping {
 	private final RepositoryMetadata metadata;
 
 	public RepositoryCollectionResourceMapping(RepositoryMetadata metadata, RepositoryDetectionStrategy strategy) {
-		this(metadata, new EvoInflectorRelProvider(), strategy);
+		this(metadata, strategy, new EvoInflectorRelProvider());
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * Creates a new {@link RepositoryCollectionResourceMapping} for the given repository using the given
 	 * {@link RelProvider}.
 	 * 
-	 * @param repositoryType must not be {@literal null}.
-	 * @param relProvider must not be {@literal null}.
 	 * @param strategy must not be {@literal null}.
+	 * @param relProvider must not be {@literal null}.
+	 * @param repositoryType must not be {@literal null}.
 	 */
-	RepositoryCollectionResourceMapping(RepositoryMetadata metadata, RelProvider relProvider,
-			RepositoryDetectionStrategy strategy) {
+	RepositoryCollectionResourceMapping(RepositoryMetadata metadata, RepositoryDetectionStrategy strategy,
+			RelProvider relProvider) {
 
 		Assert.notNull(metadata, "Repository metadata must not be null!");
 		Assert.notNull(relProvider, "RelProvider must not be null!");
diff --git a/spring-data-rest-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/mapping/RepositoryResourceMappings.java b/spring-data-rest-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/mapping/RepositoryResourceMappings.java
index dfd536804..034353875 100644
--- a/spring-data-rest-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/mapping/RepositoryResourceMappings.java
+++ b/spring-data-rest-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/mapping/RepositoryResourceMappings.java
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ public class RepositoryResourceMappings extends PersistentEntitiesResourceMappin
 	 */
 	public RepositoryResourceMappings(Repositories repositories, PersistentEntities entities,
 			RepositoryDetectionStrategy strategy) {
-		this(repositories, entities, new EvoInflectorRelProvider(), strategy);
+		this(repositories, entities, strategy, new EvoInflectorRelProvider());
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -61,11 +61,11 @@ public class RepositoryResourceMappings extends PersistentEntitiesResourceMappin
 	 * 
 	 * @param repositories must not be {@literal null}.
 	 * @param entities must not be {@literal null}.
-	 * @param relProvider must not be {@literal null}.
 	 * @param strategy must not be {@literal null}.
+	 * @param relProvider must not be {@literal null}.
 	 */
-	RepositoryResourceMappings(Repositories repositories, PersistentEntities entities, RelProvider relProvider,
-			RepositoryDetectionStrategy strategy) {
+	public RepositoryResourceMappings(Repositories repositories, PersistentEntities entities, RepositoryDetectionStrategy strategy,
+			RelProvider relProvider) {
 
 		super(entities);
 
@@ -85,8 +85,8 @@ public class RepositoryResourceMappings extends PersistentEntitiesResourceMappin
 			Class<?> repositoryInterface = repositoryInformation.getRepositoryInterface();
 			PersistentEntity<?, ?> entity = repositories.getPersistentEntity(type);
 
-			CollectionResourceMapping mapping = new RepositoryCollectionResourceMapping(repositoryInformation, provider,
-					strategy);
+			CollectionResourceMapping mapping = new RepositoryCollectionResourceMapping(repositoryInformation, strategy,
+					provider);
 			RepositoryAwareResourceMetadata information = new RepositoryAwareResourceMetadata(entity, mapping, this,
 					repositoryInformation);
 
diff --git a/spring-data-rest-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/RepositoryRestConfigurationUnitTests.java b/spring-data-rest-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/RepositoryRestConfigurationUnitTests.java
index 3f961eb93..945f9cf95 100644
--- a/spring-data-rest-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/RepositoryRestConfigurationUnitTests.java
+++ b/spring-data-rest-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/RepositoryRestConfigurationUnitTests.java
@@ -132,4 +132,9 @@ public class RepositoryRestConfigurationUnitTests {
 		CorsConfiguration corsConfiguration = corsConfigurations.get("/hello");
 		assertThat(corsConfiguration.getMaxAge(), is(1234L));
 	}
+
+	@Test // DATAREST-1076
+	public void rejectsNullRelProvider() {
+		assertThatExceptionOfType(IllegalArgumentException.class).isThrownBy(() -> configuration.setRelProvider(null));
+	}
 }
diff --git a/spring-data-rest-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/mapping/RepositoryResourceMappingsIntegrationTests.java b/spring-data-rest-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/mapping/RepositoryResourceMappingsIntegrationTests.java
index dfce4e52c..0baf960d4 100644
--- a/spring-data-rest-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/mapping/RepositoryResourceMappingsIntegrationTests.java
+++ b/spring-data-rest-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/core/mapping/RepositoryResourceMappingsIntegrationTests.java
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ public class RepositoryResourceMappingsIntegrationTests {
 
 		Repositories repositories = new Repositories(factory);
 		this.mappings = new RepositoryResourceMappings(repositories, new PersistentEntities(Arrays.asList(mappingContext)),
-				new EvoInflectorRelProvider(), RepositoryDetectionStrategies.DEFAULT);
+				RepositoryDetectionStrategies.DEFAULT, new EvoInflectorRelProvider());
 	}
 
 	@Test
diff --git a/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/config/RepositoryRestMvcConfiguration.java b/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/config/RepositoryRestMvcConfiguration.java
index 7a2e3698c..a2b47b103 100644
--- a/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/config/RepositoryRestMvcConfiguration.java
+++ b/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/config/RepositoryRestMvcConfiguration.java
@@ -616,7 +616,7 @@ public class RepositoryRestMvcConfiguration extends HateoasAwareSpringDataWebCon
 	@Bean
 	public RepositoryResourceMappings resourceMappings() {
 		return new RepositoryResourceMappings(repositories(), persistentEntities(),
-				config().getRepositoryDetectionStrategy());
+				config().getRepositoryDetectionStrategy(), config().getRelProvider());
 	}
 
 	/**