diff --git a/debian/adduser.sh b/debian/adduser.sh
index ba78daa016..44d2fa05ee 100755
--- a/debian/adduser.sh
+++ b/debian/adduser.sh
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
-# add diaspora system user (requires adduser >= 3.34)
+# add gitlab user (requires adduser >= 3.34)
 # don't muck around with this unless you KNOW what you're doing
-user=gitlab
 
-echo "Creating/updating $user user account..."
-adduser --home /usr/share/$user --gecos "$user user" --shell /bin/sh \
-	--quiet --disabled-password $user || {
-echo "Proceeding with existing $user user..."
+# Take gitlab_user from envornment variable or use gitlab
+test -n "${gitlab_user}" || gitlab_user="gitlab"
+
+# Create gitlab user with home in /var/lib
+echo "Creating/updating ${gitlab_user} user account..."
+adduser --home /var/lib/${gitlab_user} --gecos "${gitlab_user} user" --shell /bin/sh \
+	--quiet --disabled-password ${gitlab_user} || {
+echo "Proceeding with existing ${gitlab_user} user..."
   }
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index deaba19148..0a6ddcb209 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+gitlab (8.4.3+dfsg-9) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
+
+  * Move gitlab user's home directory to /var/lib 
+
+ -- Pirate Praveen <praveen@debian.org>  Thu, 18 Feb 2016 13:02:01 +0530
+
 gitlab (8.4.3+dfsg-8) unstable; urgency=medium
 
   * Install tmpfiles.d/gitlab.conf and allow www-data user to read /run/gitlab
diff --git a/debian/control b/debian/control
index 3678ba6578..5cd90a57a8 100644
--- a/debian/control
+++ b/debian/control
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, ${misc:Depends}, ruby | ruby-interpreter,
  rake,
  bundler,
  postgresql-client,
- adduser,
+ adduser (>= 3.34~),
  bc,
  postgresql,
  redis-server (>= 2:2.8~),