diff --git a/pkg/kube/client.go b/pkg/kube/client.go
index 955c75ab1..37c1d53e4 100644
--- a/pkg/kube/client.go
+++ b/pkg/kube/client.go
@@ -333,9 +333,18 @@ func (c *Client) Update(namespace string, originalReader, targetReader io.Reader
 		}
 
 		originalInfo := original.Get(info)
+
+		// The resource already exists in the cluster, but it wasn't defined in the previous release.
+		// In this case, we consider it to be a resource that was previously un-managed by the release and error out,
+		// asking for the user to intervene.
+		//
+		// See https://github.com/helm/helm/issues/1193 for more info.
 		if originalInfo == nil {
-			kind := info.Mapping.GroupVersionKind.Kind
-			return fmt.Errorf("no %s with the name %q found", kind, info.Name)
+			return fmt.Errorf(
+				"kind %s with the name %q already exists in the cluster and wasn't defined in the previous release. Before upgrading, please either delete the resource from the cluster or remove it from the chart",
+				info.Mapping.GroupVersionKind.Kind,
+				info.Name,
+			)
 		}
 
 		if err := updateResource(c, info, originalInfo.Object, force, recreate); err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/kube/client_test.go b/pkg/kube/client_test.go
index 89e630bb3..401ac7e58 100644
--- a/pkg/kube/client_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kube/client_test.go
@@ -224,6 +224,43 @@ func TestUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestUpdateNonManagedResourceError(t *testing.T) {
+	actual := newPodList("starfish")
+	current := newPodList()
+	target := newPodList("starfish")
+
+	tf := cmdtesting.NewTestFactory()
+	defer tf.Cleanup()
+
+	tf.UnstructuredClient = &fake.RESTClient{
+		NegotiatedSerializer: unstructuredSerializer,
+		Client: fake.CreateHTTPClient(func(req *http.Request) (*http.Response, error) {
+			p, m := req.URL.Path, req.Method
+			t.Logf("got request %s %s", p, m)
+			switch {
+			case p == "/namespaces/default/pods/starfish" && m == "GET":
+				return newResponse(200, &actual.Items[0])
+			default:
+				t.Fatalf("unexpected request: %s %s", req.Method, req.URL.Path)
+				return nil, nil
+			}
+		}),
+	}
+
+	c := &Client{
+		Factory: tf,
+		Log:     nopLogger,
+	}
+
+	if err := c.Update(v1.NamespaceDefault, objBody(&current), objBody(&target), false, false, 0, false); err != nil {
+		if err.Error() != "kind Pod with the name \"starfish\" already exists in the cluster and wasn't defined in the previous release. Before upgrading, please either delete the resource from the cluster or remove it from the chart" {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	} else {
+		t.Fatalf("error expected")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestBuild(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name      string