diff --git a/wcs/qommon/emails.py b/wcs/qommon/emails.py
index 1555e3779..6e73180c9 100644
--- a/wcs/qommon/emails.py
+++ b/wcs/qommon/emails.py
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ from django.utils.six import StringIO
 from quixote import get_request, get_response, get_publisher
 
 from .publisher import get_cfg, get_logger
+from . import force_str
 from . import errors
 from . import tokens
 from .admin.emails import EmailsDirectory
@@ -182,7 +183,7 @@ def email(subject, mail_body, email_rcpt, replyto=None, bcc=None,
                     config_section = None,
                     enable_exit_status = None)
             # change paragraphs so manual newlines are considered.
-            htmlmail = htmlmail.replace('<p>', '<p style="white-space: pre-line;">')
+            htmlmail = force_str(htmlmail).replace('<p>', '<p style="white-space: pre-line;">')
         except:
             htmlmail = None