diff --git a/web/src/app/chat/ChatPage.tsx b/web/src/app/chat/ChatPage.tsx
index 91cc559c5..8d9f5f6dd 100644
--- a/web/src/app/chat/ChatPage.tsx
+++ b/web/src/app/chat/ChatPage.tsx
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ export default async function ChatPage({
   } catch (e) {
     console.log(`Some fetch failed for the main search page - ${e}`);
   }
-  const authTypeMetadata = results[0] as AuthTypeMetadata;
+  const authTypeMetadata = results[0] as AuthTypeMetadata | null;
   const user = results[1] as User | null;
   const connectorsResponse = results[2] as Response | null;
   const documentSetsResponse = results[3] as Response | null;
@@ -71,12 +71,12 @@ export default async function ChatPage({
   const chatSessionsResponse = results[5] as Response | null;
   const chatSessionMessagesResponse = results[6] as Response | null;
 
-  const authDisabled = authTypeMetadata.authType === "disabled";
+  const authDisabled = authTypeMetadata?.authType === "disabled";
   if (!authDisabled && !user) {
     return redirect("/auth/login");
   }
 
-  if (user && !user.is_verified && authTypeMetadata.requiresVerification) {
+  if (user && !user.is_verified && authTypeMetadata?.requiresVerification) {
     return redirect("/auth/waiting-on-verification");
   }
 
diff --git a/web/src/app/search/page.tsx b/web/src/app/search/page.tsx
index d6bd8a1f9..4a0112080 100644
--- a/web/src/app/search/page.tsx
+++ b/web/src/app/search/page.tsx
@@ -40,24 +40,25 @@ export default async function Home() {
     null,
     null,
     null,
+    null,
   ];
   try {
     results = await Promise.all(tasks);
   } catch (e) {
     console.log(`Some fetch failed for the main search page - ${e}`);
   }
-  const authTypeMetadata = results[0] as AuthTypeMetadata;
+  const authTypeMetadata = results[0] as AuthTypeMetadata | null;
   const user = results[1] as User | null;
   const connectorsResponse = results[2] as Response | null;
   const documentSetsResponse = results[3] as Response | null;
   const personaResponse = results[4] as Response | null;
 
-  const authDisabled = authTypeMetadata.authType === "disabled";
+  const authDisabled = authTypeMetadata?.authType === "disabled";
   if (!authDisabled && !user) {
     return redirect("/auth/login");
   }
 
-  if (user && !user.is_verified && authTypeMetadata.requiresVerification) {
+  if (user && !user.is_verified && authTypeMetadata?.requiresVerification) {
     return redirect("/auth/waiting-on-verification");
   }
 
diff --git a/web/src/components/admin/Layout.tsx b/web/src/components/admin/Layout.tsx
index 32fc02bbd..10a6408c3 100644
--- a/web/src/components/admin/Layout.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/admin/Layout.tsx
@@ -11,15 +11,32 @@ import {
   RobotIcon,
   ConnectorIcon,
 } from "@/components/icons/icons";
-import { getAuthDisabledSS, getCurrentUserSS } from "@/lib/userSS";
+import { User } from "@/lib/types";
+import {
+  AuthTypeMetadata,
+  getAuthTypeMetadataSS,
+  getCurrentUserSS,
+} from "@/lib/userSS";
 import { redirect } from "next/navigation";
 
 export async function Layout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
-  const [authDisabled, user] = await Promise.all([
-    getAuthDisabledSS(),
-    getCurrentUserSS(),
-  ]);
+  const tasks = [getAuthTypeMetadataSS(), getCurrentUserSS()];
 
+  // catch cases where the backend is completely unreachable here
+  // without try / catch, will just raise an exception and the page
+  // will not render
+  let results: (User | AuthTypeMetadata | null)[] = [null, null];
+  try {
+    results = await Promise.all(tasks);
+  } catch (e) {
+    console.log(`Some fetch failed for the main search page - ${e}`);
+  }
+
+  const authTypeMetadata = results[0] as AuthTypeMetadata | null;
+  const user = results[1] as User | null;
+
+  const authDisabled = authTypeMetadata?.authType === "disabled";
+  const requiresVerification = authTypeMetadata?.requiresVerification;
   if (!authDisabled) {
     if (!user) {
       return redirect("/auth/login");
@@ -27,6 +44,9 @@ export async function Layout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
     if (user.role !== "admin") {
       return redirect("/");
     }
+    if (!user.is_verified && requiresVerification) {
+      return redirect("/auth/waiting-on-verification");
+    }
   }
 
   return (