diff --git a/core/src/main/java/google/registry/flows/certs/CertificateChecker.java b/core/src/main/java/google/registry/flows/certs/CertificateChecker.java
index c5b5090c6..4b84283e1 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/google/registry/flows/certs/CertificateChecker.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/google/registry/flows/certs/CertificateChecker.java
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ public class CertificateChecker {
      *    lastExpiringNotificationSentDate is greater than expirationWarningIntervalDays.
      */
     return !lastValidDate.after(now.plusDays(expirationWarningDays).toDate())
-        && (lastExpiringNotificationSentDate == START_OF_TIME
+        && (lastExpiringNotificationSentDate.equals(START_OF_TIME)
             || !lastExpiringNotificationSentDate
                 .plusDays(expirationWarningIntervalDays)
                 .toDate()
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/google/registry/backup/ReplayCommitLogsToSqlActionTest.java b/core/src/test/java/google/registry/backup/ReplayCommitLogsToSqlActionTest.java
index fc5710f03..c8ecfd222 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/google/registry/backup/ReplayCommitLogsToSqlActionTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/google/registry/backup/ReplayCommitLogsToSqlActionTest.java
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ public class ReplayCommitLogsToSqlActionTest {
         mutation);
     runAndAssertSuccess(persistenceTime.minusMinutes(1), 1, 1);
     assertAboutImmutableObjects()
-        .that(jpaTm().transact((() -> jpaTm().loadByEntity(contactResource))))
+        .that(jpaTm().transact(() -> jpaTm().loadByEntity(contactResource)))
         .isEqualExceptFields(contactResource, "revisions");
   }