diff --git a/src/aeso_ast_infer_types.erl b/src/aeso_ast_infer_types.erl
index 9376129..565c34d 100644
--- a/src/aeso_ast_infer_types.erl
+++ b/src/aeso_ast_infer_types.erl
@@ -1290,6 +1290,16 @@ infer_expr(Env, {block, Attrs, Stmts}) ->
     BlockType = fresh_uvar(Attrs),
     NewStmts = infer_block(Env, Attrs, Stmts, BlockType),
     {typed, Attrs, {block, Attrs, NewStmts}, BlockType};
+infer_expr(_Env, {record_or_map_error, Attrs, Fields}) ->
+    type_error({mixed_record_and_map, {record, Attrs, Fields}}),
+    Type = fresh_uvar(Attrs),
+    {typed, Attrs, {record, Attrs, []}, Type};
+infer_expr(Env, {record_or_map_error, Attrs, Expr, []}) ->
+    type_error({empty_record_or_map_update, {record, Attrs, Expr, []}}),
+    infer_expr(Env, Expr);
+infer_expr(Env, {record_or_map_error, Attrs, Expr, Fields}) ->
+    type_error({mixed_record_and_map, {record, Attrs, Expr, Fields}}),
+    infer_expr(Env, Expr);
 infer_expr(Env, {lam, Attrs, Args, Body}) ->
     ArgTypes = [fresh_uvar(As) || {arg, As, _, _} <- Args],
     ArgPatterns = [{typed, As, Pat, check_type(Env, T)} || {arg, As, Pat, T} <- Args],
@@ -2456,6 +2466,14 @@ mk_error({compiler_version_mismatch, Ann, Version, Op, Bound}) ->
                         "because it does not satisfy the constraint"
                         " ~s ~s ~s\n", [PrintV(Version), Op, PrintV(Bound)]),
     mk_t_err(pos(Ann), Msg);
+mk_error({empty_record_or_map_update, Expr}) ->
+    Msg = io_lib:format("Empty record/map update\n~s",
+                        [pp_expr("  ", Expr)]),
+    mk_t_err(pos(Expr), Msg);
+mk_error({mixed_record_and_map, Expr}) ->
+    Msg = io_lib:format("Mixed record fields and map keys in\n~s",
+                        [pp_expr("  ", Expr)]),
+    mk_t_err(pos(Expr), Msg);
 mk_error(Err) ->
     Msg = io_lib:format("Unknown error: ~p\n", [Err]),
     mk_t_err(pos(0, 0), Msg).
diff --git a/src/aeso_parser.erl b/src/aeso_parser.erl
index 06a3c43..e03224c 100644
--- a/src/aeso_parser.erl
+++ b/src/aeso_parser.erl
@@ -349,7 +349,9 @@ record(Fs) ->
                         bad_expr_err("Cannot use '@' in map construction", infix({lvalue, FAnn, LV}, {'@', Ann}, Id));
                     ({field, FAnn, LV, _}) ->
                         bad_expr_err("Cannot use nested fields or keys in map construction", {lvalue, FAnn, LV}) end,
-            {map, Ann, lists:map(KV, Fs)}
+            {map, Ann, lists:map(KV, Fs)};
+        record_or_map_error ->
+            {record_or_map_error, get_ann(hd(Fs)), Fs}
     end.
 
 record_or_map(Fields) ->
@@ -361,9 +363,7 @@ record_or_map(Fields) ->
     case lists:usort(lists:map(Kind, Fields)) of
         [proj]    -> record;
         [map_get] -> map;
-        _         ->
-            [{field, Ann, _, _} | _] = Fields,
-            bad_expr_err("Mixed record fields and map keys in", {record, Ann, Fields})
+        _         -> record_or_map_error %% Defer error until type checking
     end.
 
 field_assignment() ->
diff --git a/src/aeso_syntax.erl b/src/aeso_syntax.erl
index 4eb52ef..66104b2 100644
--- a/src/aeso_syntax.erl
+++ b/src/aeso_syntax.erl
@@ -100,9 +100,8 @@
      | {list, ann(), [expr()]}
      | {list_comp, ann(), expr(), [comprehension_exp()]}
      | {typed, ann(), expr(), type()}
-     | {record, ann(), [field(expr())]}
-     | {record, ann(), expr(), [field(expr())]} %% record update
-     | {map, ann(), expr(), [field(expr())]}    %% map update
+     | {record_or_map(), ann(), [field(expr())]}
+     | {record_or_map(), ann(), expr(), [field(expr())]} %% record/map update
      | {map, ann(), [{expr(), expr()}]}
      | {map_get, ann(), expr(), expr()}
      | {map_get, ann(), expr(), expr(), expr()}
@@ -111,6 +110,8 @@
      | id() | qid() | con() | qcon()
      | constant().
 
+-type record_or_map() :: record | map | record_or_map_error.
+
 -type comprehension_exp() :: [ {comprehension_bind, id(), expr()}
                              | {comprehension_if, ann(), expr()}
                              | letbind() ].
diff --git a/test/aeso_compiler_tests.erl b/test/aeso_compiler_tests.erl
index 50130e6..c5912cd 100644
--- a/test/aeso_compiler_tests.erl
+++ b/test/aeso_compiler_tests.erl
@@ -595,6 +595,17 @@ failing_contracts() ->
          [<<?Pos(5, 28)
             "Invalid call to contract entrypoint 'Foo.foo'.\n"
             "It must be called as 'c.foo' for some c : Foo.">>])
+    , ?TYPE_ERROR(bad_records,
+        [<<?Pos(3, 16)
+           "Mixed record fields and map keys in\n"
+           "  {x = 0, [0] = 1}">>,
+         <<?Pos(4, 6)
+           "Mixed record fields and map keys in\n"
+           "  r {x = 0, [0] = 1}">>,
+         <<?Pos(5, 6)
+           "Empty record/map update\n"
+           "  r {}">>
+        ])
     ].
 
 -define(Path(File), "code_errors/" ??File).
diff --git a/test/contracts/bad_records.aes b/test/contracts/bad_records.aes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..529e6f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/contracts/bad_records.aes
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+contract BadRecord =
+  entrypoint foo() =
+    let r = {x = 0, [0] = 1}
+    r{x = 0, [0] = 1}
+    r{}