diff --git a/internal/apply/declared_home_test.go b/internal/apply/declared_home_test.go
index 116aa07..ed6515a 100644
--- a/internal/apply/declared_home_test.go
+++ b/internal/apply/declared_home_test.go
@@ -86,3 +86,73 @@ func TestIssue1542DeclaredAccountsAreNotHomesToTheOtherGuards(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("a declared account became a home for the links and the move-out")
 	}
 }
+
+// A declared account is added as a home and never takes one over (reviewer, issue 1542): the person's own .ssh
+// stays refused to every other account, whatever a declaration says about a user.
+func TestIssue1542ADeclaredAccountTakesNoExistingHome(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	passwd := filepath.Join(dir, "passwd")
+	body := "root:x:0:0::/root:/bin/sh\njochen:x:1000:1000::/home/jochen:/bin/sh\n" +
+		"svc:x:998:998::/var/lib/svc:/usr/bin/nologin\n"
+	if err := os.WriteFile(passwd, []byte(body), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	before := passwdFile
+	passwdFile = passwd
+	t.Cleanup(func() { passwdFile = before })
+	newHome := filepath.Join(dir, "lib", "mesh-build-go")
+	ssh := func(path, owner string) *declaration.Directory {
+		return &declaration.Directory{ID: "x.ssh", Type: declaration.TypeDirectory, Path: path, Mode: "0700", Owner: owner}
+	}
+	user := func(name, home string) *declaration.User {
+		return &declaration.User{ID: "x.user", Type: declaration.TypeUser, Name: name, Home: home}
+	}
+	// A declared user over a person's home, whoever it is named for.
+	for _, name := range []string{"evil", "postgres", "root"} {
+		d := ssh("/home/jochen/.ssh", name)
+		if refusedPlaces([]declaration.Resource{user(name, "/home/jochen"), d})[d.Path] == nil {
+			t.Errorf("%s, declared over jochen's home, was given jochen's .ssh", name)
+		}
+	}
+	// A declared home below a person's home.
+	d := ssh("/home/jochen/sub/.ssh", "evil")
+	if refusedPlaces([]declaration.Resource{user("evil", "/home/jochen/sub"), d})[d.Path] == nil {
+		t.Error("a home declared below jochen's home was counted")
+	}
+	// A name the machine has already, declared with another home: that is not its home.
+	d = ssh(newHome+"/e/.ssh", "svc")
+	if refusedPlaces([]declaration.Resource{user("svc", newHome+"/e"), d})[d.Path] == nil {
+		t.Error("an existing account's declared home was counted")
+	}
+	// A number is no name: chown -1 leaves the owner as it was.
+	for _, owner := range []string{"-1", "-1:0", "0", "1001"} {
+		d := ssh(newHome+"/.ssh", owner)
+		if refusedPlaces([]declaration.Resource{user("mesh-build-go", newHome), d})[d.Path] == nil {
+			t.Errorf("owner %q was placed below a declared home", owner)
+		}
+	}
+	// And the account that is new, by name, still is.
+	d = ssh(newHome+"/.ssh", "mesh-build-go")
+	if got := refusedPlaces([]declaration.Resource{user("mesh-build-go", newHome), d}); len(got) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("a new account's own .ssh was refused: %v", got)
+	}
+}
+
+// The account the mesh made, as declared, is judged the same at the next apply (issue 1542): once it is in the
+// user database with exactly the declared home, its .ssh is still placed.
+func TestIssue1542TheAccountTheMeshMadeIsStillPlacedAtTheNextApply(t *testing.T) {
+	home, user := declaredHomeFixture(t)
+	ssh := &declaration.Directory{ID: "mesh-build-go.ssh-dir", Type: declaration.TypeDirectory, Path: home + "/.ssh",
+		Mode: "0700", Owner: "mesh-build-go"}
+	resources := []declaration.Resource{user, ssh}
+	if got := refusedPlaces(resources); len(got) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("first apply, the account not yet made: %v", got)
+	}
+	body := "root:x:0:0::/root:/bin/sh\nmesh-build-go:x:998:998::" + home + ":/usr/bin/nologin\n"
+	if err := os.WriteFile(passwdFile, []byte(body), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got := refusedPlaces(resources); len(got) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("second apply, the account made as declared: %v", got)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/apply/placement_guard.go b/internal/apply/placement_guard.go
index 28dd7a8..864c4cb 100644
--- a/internal/apply/placement_guard.go
+++ b/internal/apply/placement_guard.go
@@ -384,6 +384,9 @@ func ownedByAccount(owner string, a homeAccount) bool {
 	if owner == a.Name {
 		return true
 	}
+	if a.UID < 0 {
+		return false // an account the declaration makes has no uid yet: by name alone, never by a number
+	}
 	user, _, _ := strings.Cut(owner, ":")
 	if uid, err := strconv.Atoi(user); err == nil {
 		return uid == a.UID
@@ -422,6 +425,7 @@ func refusePath(path string, kind placing, module, owner string) error {
 // not known, so a directory is owned by it by name alone. Only for the directory placement guard; no other
 // reader of accountsOfHomes sees these.
 func declaredHomes(resources []declaration.Resource) map[string]homeAccount {
+	var accounts []passwdEntry
 	var out map[string]homeAccount
 	for _, r := range resources {
 		u, ok := r.(*declaration.User)
@@ -432,6 +436,28 @@ func declaredHomes(resources []declaration.Resource) map[string]homeAccount {
 		if u.Home == "" || !filepath.IsAbs(home) || home == "/" {
 			continue
 		}
+		if accounts == nil {
+			accounts = passwdEntries()
+		}
+		// Only ever adds a home. An account the machine has keeps the home it has (applyUser never moves it), so
+		// a declared home of one is not its home, unless it is the very home it has: the account an earlier apply
+		// made, as declared, which must be judged the same at every later apply. And a home at or below another
+		// account's, or at or above a protected root, is not a new one.
+		taken := false
+		for _, e := range accounts {
+			if e.name == u.Name && e.home != home {
+				taken = true
+			}
+			if e.name != u.Name && e.home != "" && atOrBelow(home, e.home) {
+				taken = true
+			}
+		}
+		for _, root := range protectedRoots {
+			taken = taken || home == root || below(root, home)
+		}
+		if taken {
+			continue
+		}
 		if out == nil {
 			out = map[string]homeAccount{}
 		}
@@ -440,6 +466,32 @@ func declaredHomes(resources []declaration.Resource) map[string]homeAccount {
 	return out
 }
 
+// passwdEntry is an account of the user database and its home, whatever its uid.
+type passwdEntry struct{ name, home string }
+
+// passwdEntries is every account of the user database with its home (empty and root homes as "").
+func passwdEntries() []passwdEntry {
+	out := []passwdEntry{}
+	f, err := os.Open(passwdFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		return out
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+	sc := bufio.NewScanner(f)
+	for sc.Scan() {
+		fields := strings.Split(sc.Text(), ":")
+		if len(fields) < 6 {
+			continue
+		}
+		home := filepath.Clean(fields[5])
+		if home == "." || home == "/" || home == "/nonexistent" {
+			home = ""
+		}
+		out = append(out, passwdEntry{fields[0], home})
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
 // refusePathWith is refusePath with the homes of the accounts the declaration makes (declaredHomes) counted
 // among the machine's.
 func refusePathWith(path string, kind placing, module, owner string, declared map[string]homeAccount) error {
@@ -518,7 +570,9 @@ func refuseOne(path string, kind placing, module, owner string, declared map[str
 			merged[home] = a
 		}
 		for home, a := range declared {
-			merged[home] = a
+			if _, held := merged[home]; !held {
+				merged[home] = a
+			}
 		}
 		homes = merged
 	}