diff --git a/smack-extensions/src/main/java/org/jivesoftware/smackx/muc/MultiUserChat.java b/smack-extensions/src/main/java/org/jivesoftware/smackx/muc/MultiUserChat.java
index aceb4d9ff..0ccf9ba24 100644
--- a/smack-extensions/src/main/java/org/jivesoftware/smackx/muc/MultiUserChat.java
+++ b/smack-extensions/src/main/java/org/jivesoftware/smackx/muc/MultiUserChat.java
@@ -450,7 +450,12 @@ public class MultiUserChat {
             return mucCreateConfigFormHandle;
         }
         // We need to leave the room since it seems that the room already existed
-        leave();
+        try {
+            leave();
+        }
+        catch (MucNotJoinedException e) {
+            LOGGER.log(Level.INFO, "Unexpected MucNotJoinedException", e);
+        }
         throw new MissingMucCreationAcknowledgeException();
     }
 
@@ -684,28 +689,19 @@ public class MultiUserChat {
 
     /**
      * Leave the chat room.
+     *
+     * @return the leave presence as reflected by the MUC.
      * @throws NotConnectedException
      * @throws InterruptedException
+     * @throws XMPPErrorException
+     * @throws NoResponseException
+     * @throws MucNotJoinedException
+     * @deprecated use {@link #leave()} instead.
      */
-    public synchronized void leave() throws NotConnectedException, InterruptedException {
-        //  Note that this method is intentionally not guarded by
-        // "if  (!joined) return" because it should be always be possible to leave the room in case the instance's
-        // state does not reflect the actual state.
-
-        // Reset occupant information first so that we are assume that we left the room even if sendStanza() would
-        // throw.
-        userHasLeft();
-
-        final EntityFullJid myRoomJid = this.myRoomJid;
-        if (myRoomJid == null) {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        // We leave a room by sending a presence packet where the "to"
-        // field is in the form "roomName@service/nickname"
-        Presence leavePresence = new Presence(Presence.Type.unavailable);
-        leavePresence.setTo(myRoomJid);
-        connection.sendStanza(leavePresence);
+    @Deprecated
+    // TODO: Remove in Smack 4.5.
+    public synchronized Presence leaveSync() throws NotConnectedException, InterruptedException, MucNotJoinedException, NoResponseException, XMPPErrorException {
+        return leave();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -718,7 +714,7 @@ public class MultiUserChat {
      * @throws NoResponseException
      * @throws MucNotJoinedException
      */
-    public synchronized Presence leaveSync()
+    public synchronized Presence leave()
                     throws NotConnectedException, InterruptedException, NoResponseException, XMPPErrorException, MucNotJoinedException {
         //  Note that this method is intentionally not guarded by
         // "if  (!joined) return" because it should be always be possible to leave the room in case the instance's
diff --git a/smack-extensions/src/main/java/org/jivesoftware/smackx/muc/MultiUserChatManager.java b/smack-extensions/src/main/java/org/jivesoftware/smackx/muc/MultiUserChatManager.java
index 33e36e76b..1730e4a67 100644
--- a/smack-extensions/src/main/java/org/jivesoftware/smackx/muc/MultiUserChatManager.java
+++ b/smack-extensions/src/main/java/org/jivesoftware/smackx/muc/MultiUserChatManager.java
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ import org.jivesoftware.smackx.disco.AbstractNodeInformationProvider;
 import org.jivesoftware.smackx.disco.ServiceDiscoveryManager;
 import org.jivesoftware.smackx.disco.packet.DiscoverInfo;
 import org.jivesoftware.smackx.disco.packet.DiscoverItems;
+import org.jivesoftware.smackx.muc.MultiUserChatException.MucNotJoinedException;
 import org.jivesoftware.smackx.muc.MultiUserChatException.NotAMucServiceException;
 import org.jivesoftware.smackx.muc.packet.MUCInitialPresence;
 import org.jivesoftware.smackx.muc.packet.MUCUser;
@@ -206,7 +207,8 @@ public final class MultiUserChatManager extends Manager {
 
                             try {
                                 muc.leave();
-                            } catch (NotConnectedException | InterruptedException e) {
+                            } catch (NotConnectedException | InterruptedException | MucNotJoinedException
+                                            | NoResponseException | XMPPErrorException e) {
                                 if (failedCallback != null) {
                                     failedCallback.autoJoinFailed(muc, e);
                                 } else {
diff --git a/smack-integration-test/src/main/java/org/jivesoftware/smackx/muc/MultiUserChatIntegrationTest.java b/smack-integration-test/src/main/java/org/jivesoftware/smackx/muc/MultiUserChatIntegrationTest.java
index d57f4467e..9fa199d08 100644
--- a/smack-integration-test/src/main/java/org/jivesoftware/smackx/muc/MultiUserChatIntegrationTest.java
+++ b/smack-integration-test/src/main/java/org/jivesoftware/smackx/muc/MultiUserChatIntegrationTest.java
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ public class MultiUserChatIntegrationTest extends AbstractSmackIntegrationTest {
 
         muc.join(Resourcepart.from("nick-one"));
 
-        Presence reflectedLeavePresence = muc.leaveSync();
+        Presence reflectedLeavePresence = muc.leave();
 
         MUCUser mucUser = MUCUser.from(reflectedLeavePresence);
         assertNotNull(mucUser);