diff --git a/api/baseapi.cpp b/api/baseapi.cpp
index 473df8a50..e1dec94c3 100644
--- a/api/baseapi.cpp
+++ b/api/baseapi.cpp
@@ -1757,8 +1757,8 @@ const int kLatinChs[] = {
 
 /**
  * The recognized text is returned as a char* which is coded
- * as UNLV format Latin-1 with specific reject and suspect codes
- * and must be freed with the delete [] operator.
+ * as UNLV format Latin-1 with specific reject and suspect codes.
+ * Returned string must be freed with the delete [] operator.
  */
 char* TessBaseAPI::GetUNLVText() {
   if (tesseract_ == NULL ||
diff --git a/api/baseapi.h b/api/baseapi.h
index 0b473e291..1efa76ba8 100644
--- a/api/baseapi.h
+++ b/api/baseapi.h
@@ -621,8 +621,8 @@ class TESS_API TessBaseAPI {
 
   /**
    * The recognized text is returned as a char* which is coded
-   * as UNLV format Latin-1 with specific reject and suspect codes
-   * and must be freed with the delete [] operator.
+   * as UNLV format Latin-1 with specific reject and suspect codes.
+   * Returned string must be freed with the delete [] operator.
    */
   char* GetUNLVText();
 
diff --git a/api/renderer.cpp b/api/renderer.cpp
index 2dc274da5..822e5244e 100644
--- a/api/renderer.cpp
+++ b/api/renderer.cpp
@@ -234,11 +234,10 @@ TessUnlvRenderer::TessUnlvRenderer(const char *outputbase)
 }
 
 bool TessUnlvRenderer::AddImageHandler(TessBaseAPI* api) {
-  char* unlv = api->GetUNLVText();
+  const std::unique_ptr<const char[]> unlv(api->GetUNLVText());
   if (unlv == NULL) return false;
 
-  AppendString(unlv);
-  delete[] unlv;
+  AppendString(unlv.get());
 
   return true;
 }