diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Assets/AssetsController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Assets/AssetsController.php
index 6e6e8766e1..1c71ed83ae 100755
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Assets/AssetsController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Assets/AssetsController.php
@@ -444,6 +444,11 @@ class AssetsController extends Controller
         $asset->expected_checkin = $request->input('expected_checkin', null);
         $asset->requestable = $request->input('requestable', 0);
         $asset->rtd_location_id = $request->input('rtd_location_id', null);
+        // Current location is editable from the asset edit form as of
+        // the location-dropdown addition. Blank clears it (the mutator
+        // normalizes '' / 0 to NULL) so the next checkout can re-derive
+        // location_id from the target. See general.location_edit_help.
+        $asset->location_id = $request->input('location_id', null);
         $asset->byod = $request->input('byod', 0);
 
         $status = Statuslabel::find($request->input('status_id'));
diff --git a/app/Models/Asset.php b/app/Models/Asset.php
index 7998362412..14b76c713d 100644
--- a/app/Models/Asset.php
+++ b/app/Models/Asset.php
@@ -108,6 +108,40 @@ class Asset extends Depreciable
         'deleted_at' => 'datetime',
     ];
 
+    /**
+     * location_id and company_id should store NULL when there's no
+     * assignment, never 0. Old data and previous bugs occasionally
+     * left `0` behind (empty select2 → '' → integer-cast → 0), which
+     * then breaks `exists:` validation and FMCS queries that treat
+     * NULL and 0 as different. Mutators normalize on write; matching
+     * accessors normalize on read so legacy rows already storing 0
+     * present as null at the model boundary until they're re-saved.
+     * Mirrors the parent_id pattern on Company / SnipeModel.
+     */
+    public function setLocationIdAttribute($value): void
+    {
+        $this->attributes['location_id'] = ($value === '' || $value === null || (int) $value === 0)
+            ? null
+            : (int) $value;
+    }
+
+    public function getLocationIdAttribute($value): ?int
+    {
+        return ($value === null || (int) $value === 0) ? null : (int) $value;
+    }
+
+    public function setCompanyIdAttribute($value): void
+    {
+        $this->attributes['company_id'] = ($value === '' || $value === null || (int) $value === 0)
+            ? null
+            : (int) $value;
+    }
+
+    public function getCompanyIdAttribute($value): ?int
+    {
+        return ($value === null || (int) $value === 0) ? null : (int) $value;
+    }
+
     protected $rules = [
         'model_id' => ['required', 'integer', 'exists:models,id,deleted_at,NULL', 'not_array'],
         'status_id' => ['required', 'integer', 'exists:status_labels,id'],
diff --git a/resources/lang/en-US/general.php b/resources/lang/en-US/general.php
index f9e63d659e..a71d89872a 100644
--- a/resources/lang/en-US/general.php
+++ b/resources/lang/en-US/general.php
@@ -644,6 +644,7 @@ return [
     'copied' => 'Copied!',
     'status_compatibility' => 'If assets are already assigned, they cannot be changed to a non-deployable status type and this value change will be skipped.',
     'rtd_location_help' => 'This is the location of the asset when it is not checked out',
+    'location_edit_help' => 'If left blank, the location will be updated to match the location of whoever (or wherever) this asset is checked out to.',
     'item_not_found' => ':item_type ID :id does not exist or has been deleted',
     'item_target_not_found_hard' => ':item_type ID :id does not exist or has been hard-deleted. Would you like to force a checkin?',
     'force_checkin' => 'Force Checkin',
diff --git a/resources/views/hardware/edit.blade.php b/resources/views/hardware/edit.blade.php
index 75d06483c4..b889580c26 100755
--- a/resources/views/hardware/edit.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/hardware/edit.blade.php
@@ -118,6 +118,17 @@
         input_div_class="col-md-7 col-sm-12"
     />
 
+    {{-- Current location. When blank, the observer / checkout flow
+         updates location_id to match the checkout target's location
+         (user's location, target-location, or parent asset's location).
+         See the note under general.location_edit_help. --}}
+    <x-input.location-select
+        :label="trans('general.location')"
+        name="location_id"
+        :selected="old('location_id', $item?->location_id)"
+        :helpText="trans('general.location_edit_help')"
+    />
+
     {{-- Default (ready-to-deploy) location --}}
     <x-input.location-select
         :label="trans('admin/hardware/form.default_location')"
diff --git a/tests/Feature/Assets/AssetZeroIdNormalizationTest.php b/tests/Feature/Assets/AssetZeroIdNormalizationTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..156e655a29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Feature/Assets/AssetZeroIdNormalizationTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Tests\Feature\Assets;
+
+use App\Models\Asset;
+use App\Models\Company;
+use App\Models\Location;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
+use Tests\TestCase;
+
+/**
+ * location_id and company_id should never surface as `0` at the model
+ * boundary. Old data and previous bugs occasionally stored `0` where
+ * NULL was intended (empty select2 → '' → integer-cast → 0). Reads on
+ * those rows would then break `exists:` validation, FMCS company
+ * scoping, and any code that checks `$asset->company_id === null`.
+ *
+ * The mutator normalizes on write (Asset::setLocationIdAttribute /
+ * setCompanyIdAttribute) and the accessor normalizes on read for
+ * legacy rows already storing 0.
+ */
+class AssetZeroIdNormalizationTest extends TestCase
+{
+    public function test_setting_location_id_to_zero_normalizes_to_null(): void
+    {
+        $asset = Asset::factory()->create();
+
+        $asset->location_id = 0;
+        $this->assertNull($asset->location_id);
+
+        $asset->location_id = '0';
+        $this->assertNull($asset->location_id);
+
+        $asset->location_id = '';
+        $this->assertNull($asset->location_id);
+    }
+
+    public function test_setting_company_id_to_zero_normalizes_to_null(): void
+    {
+        $asset = Asset::factory()->create();
+
+        $asset->company_id = 0;
+        $this->assertNull($asset->company_id);
+
+        $asset->company_id = '0';
+        $this->assertNull($asset->company_id);
+
+        $asset->company_id = '';
+        $this->assertNull($asset->company_id);
+    }
+
+    public function test_legacy_zero_stored_in_db_reads_as_null(): void
+    {
+        // Simulate a row from the pre-mutator era where 0 slipped in.
+        // DB::update bypasses model events so we can write the invalid
+        // value directly.
+        $asset = Asset::factory()->create();
+        DB::table('assets')->where('id', $asset->id)->update([
+            'location_id' => 0,
+            'company_id' => 0,
+        ]);
+
+        $reloaded = Asset::find($asset->id);
+
+        $this->assertNull($reloaded->location_id);
+        $this->assertNull($reloaded->company_id);
+    }
+
+    public function test_real_ids_still_persist_and_read_normally(): void
+    {
+        // Non-regression: normalization must not touch valid ids.
+        $company = Company::factory()->create();
+        $location = Location::factory()->create();
+        $asset = Asset::factory()->create();
+
+        $asset->company_id = $company->id;
+        $asset->location_id = $location->id;
+        $asset->save();
+
+        $reloaded = Asset::find($asset->id);
+
+        $this->assertSame($company->id, $reloaded->company_id);
+        $this->assertSame($location->id, $reloaded->location_id);
+    }
+}