diff --git a/advanced/Templates/pihole-FTL.service b/advanced/Templates/pihole-FTL.service
index ecc7a52a..14205fe7 100644
--- a/advanced/Templates/pihole-FTL.service
+++ b/advanced/Templates/pihole-FTL.service
@@ -26,13 +26,18 @@ start() {
   if is_running; then
     echo "pihole-FTL is already running"
   else
-    touch /var/log/pihole-FTL.log /run/pihole-FTL.pid /run/pihole-FTL.port /var/log/pihole.log
+    # Touch files to ensure they exist (create if non-existing, preserve if existing)
+    touch /var/log/pihole-FTL.log /var/log/pihole.log
+    touch /run/pihole-FTL.pid /run/pihole-FTL.port
+    touch /etc/pihole/dhcp.leases
     mkdir -p /var/run/pihole
     mkdir -p /var/log/pihole
     chown pihole:pihole /var/run/pihole /var/log/pihole
     rm /var/run/pihole/FTL.sock 2> /dev/null
-    chown pihole:pihole /var/log/pihole-FTL.log /run/pihole-FTL.pid /run/pihole-FTL.port
-    chown pihole:pihole /etc/pihole /etc/pihole/dhcp.leases /var/log/pihole.log
+    # Ensure that permissions are set so that pihole-FTL can edit all necessary files
+    chown pihole:pihole /run/pihole-FTL.pid /run/pihole-FTL.port
+    chown pihole:pihole /etc/pihole /etc/pihole/dhcp.leases
+    chown pihole:pihole /var/log/pihole-FTL.log /var/log/pihole.log
     chmod 0644 /var/log/pihole-FTL.log /run/pihole-FTL.pid /run/pihole-FTL.port /var/log/pihole.log
     setcap CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE,CAP_NET_RAW,CAP_NET_ADMIN+eip "$(which pihole-FTL)"
     echo "nameserver 127.0.0.1" | /sbin/resolvconf -a lo.piholeFTL
@@ -78,7 +83,7 @@ status() {
     echo "[    ] pihole-FTL is not running"
     exit 1
   fi
-}  
+}
 
 
 ### main logic ###