diff --git a/src/linkahead/common/models.py b/src/linkahead/common/models.py
index 8b8141bea1a3dc5dba28257136fe03fdea2f6ba0..0384514325a7866faf192beed5502311758afbe8 100644
--- a/src/linkahead/common/models.py
+++ b/src/linkahead/common/models.py
@@ -1736,37 +1736,40 @@ def _parse_value(datatype, value):
                 ret.append(_parse_value(dt, value))
 
             return ret
+    else:
+        raise NotImplementedError("")
 
     # This is for a special case, where the xml parser could not differentiate
     # between single values and lists with one element. As
     if hasattr(value, "__len__") and len(value) == 1:
         return _parse_value(datatype, value[0])
 
+    if isinstance(value, str):  # TODO: this is bad. When no datatype is given and we find a str value, we just assume it is an ID and might convert it to int. This might result in negative ints.
+        if "@" in value:
+            # probably this is a versioned reference
+            return value
+        else:
+            # for unversioned references
+            try:
+                return int(value)
+            except ValueError:
+                # reference via name
+
+                return value
+            except TypeError as te:
+                # deal with invalid XML: List of values without appropriate datatype
+                if isinstance(value, list):
+                    raise TypeError(
+                        "Invalid datatype: List valued properties must be announced by "
+                        "the datatype.\n" + f"Datatype: {datatype}\nvalue: {value}")
+                else:
+                    # Everything else that's not related to wrong list assignments
+                    raise te
+
     # deal with references
     if isinstance(value, Entity):
         return value
-
-    if isinstance(value, str) and "@" in value:
-        # probably this is a versioned reference
-
-        return str(value)
-    else:
-        # for unversioned references
-        try:
-            return int(value)
-        except ValueError:
-            # reference via name
-
-            return str(value)
-        except TypeError as te:
-            # deal with invalid XML: List of values without appropriate datatype
-            if isinstance(value, list):
-                raise TypeError(
-                    "Invalid datatype: List valued properties must be announced by "
-                    "the datatype.\n" + f"Datatype: {datatype}\nvalue: {value}")
-            else:
-                # Everything else that's not related to wrong list assignments
-                raise te
+    raise RuntimeError("This should not be reached")
 
 
 def _log_request(request, xml_body=None):