diff --git a/cmd/main.go b/cmd/main.go
index 0ac5817bb..0805e08b4 100644
--- a/cmd/main.go
+++ b/cmd/main.go
@@ -37,7 +37,10 @@ func init() {
 	if configMapRawName != "" {
 
 		operatorNamespace := string(operatorNamespaceBytes)
+		config.Namespace = operatorNamespace
+
 		namespacedConfigMapName := operatorNamespace + "/" + configMapRawName
+
 		log.Printf("Looking for the operator configmap at the same namespace the operator resides. Fully qualified configmap name: %v", namespacedConfigMapName)
 
 		err := config.ConfigMapName.Decode(namespacedConfigMapName)
diff --git a/pkg/controller/controller.go b/pkg/controller/controller.go
index c697217e4..00f9bb21c 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/controller.go
@@ -105,8 +105,13 @@ func (c *Controller) initOperatorConfig() {
 	}
 
 	if configMapData["watched_namespace"] == "" {
-		c.logger.Infoln("No namespace to watch specified. Fall back to watching the 'default' namespace.")
-		configMapData["watched_namespace"] = v1.NamespaceDefault
+		c.logger.Infof("No namespace to watch specified. By convention, the operator falls back to watching the  namespace it is deployed to: '%v' \n", c.config.Namespace)
+		configMapData["watched_namespace"] = c.config.Namespace
+	}
+
+	_, err := c.KubeClient.ServiceAccounts(configMapData["watched_namespace"]).Get("operator", metav1.GetOptions{})
+	if err != nil {
+		c.logger.Warnf("Cannot find the 'operator' service account in the watched namepsace %q. Pods will not be able to start. Error: %v", c.opConfig.WatchedNamespace, err)
 	}
 
 	if c.config.NoDatabaseAccess {
diff --git a/pkg/util/k8sutil/k8sutil.go b/pkg/util/k8sutil/k8sutil.go
index 1b4dc9a00..5db47c76b 100644
--- a/pkg/util/k8sutil/k8sutil.go
+++ b/pkg/util/k8sutil/k8sutil.go
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ type KubernetesClient struct {
 	v1core.PersistentVolumeClaimsGetter
 	v1core.ConfigMapsGetter
 	v1core.NodesGetter
+	v1core.ServiceAccountsGetter
 	v1beta1.StatefulSetsGetter
 	policyv1beta1.PodDisruptionBudgetsGetter
 	apiextbeta1.CustomResourceDefinitionsGetter
@@ -72,6 +73,7 @@ func NewFromConfig(cfg *rest.Config) (KubernetesClient, error) {
 	kubeClient.ServicesGetter = client.CoreV1()
 	kubeClient.EndpointsGetter = client.CoreV1()
 	kubeClient.SecretsGetter = client.CoreV1()
+	kubeClient.ServiceAccountsGetter = client.CoreV1()
 	kubeClient.ConfigMapsGetter = client.CoreV1()
 	kubeClient.PersistentVolumeClaimsGetter = client.CoreV1()
 	kubeClient.PersistentVolumesGetter = client.CoreV1()