diff --git a/daemon/src/history/historyitem.cpp b/daemon/src/history/historyitem.cpp
index fbc3e6e9a4b1ba03eef77d4c74e659130e45be92..33c239d0e1985044f768bf151321e22b413f6db2 100644
--- a/daemon/src/history/historyitem.cpp
+++ b/daemon/src/history/historyitem.cpp
@@ -51,6 +51,13 @@ const char * const HistoryItem::OUTGOING_STRING =       "outgoing";
 using std::map;
 using std::string;
 
+namespace {
+    bool file_exists(const std::string &str)
+    {
+        return access(str.c_str(), F_OK) != -1;
+    }
+}
+
 HistoryItem::HistoryItem(const map<string, string> &args) : entryMap_(args),
     timestampStart_(std::atol(entryMap_[TIMESTAMP_START_KEY].c_str()))
 {}
@@ -65,10 +72,9 @@ HistoryItem::HistoryItem(std::istream &entry) : entryMap_(), timestampStart_(0)
         else if (pos < tmp.length() - 1) {
             string key(tmp.substr(0, pos));
             string val(tmp.substr(pos + 1, tmp.length() - pos - 1));
-            if(key == RECORDING_PATH_KEY && !fexist(val))
-                entryMap_[key] = "";
-            else
-                entryMap_[key] = val;
+            if (key == RECORDING_PATH_KEY and not file_exists(val))
+                val = "";
+            entryMap_[key] = val;
         }
     }
     timestampStart_ = std::atol(entryMap_[TIMESTAMP_START_KEY].c_str());
@@ -89,18 +95,13 @@ bool HistoryItem::hasPeerNumber() const
     return entryMap_.find(PEER_NUMBER_KEY) != entryMap_.end();
 }
 
-bool HistoryItem::fexist(const std::string &str) const
-{
-    return access(str.c_str(), F_OK) != -1;
-}
-
 void HistoryItem::print(std::ostream &o) const
 {
     // every entry starts with "[" + random integer = "]"
     for (map<string, string>::const_iterator iter = entryMap_.begin();
          iter != entryMap_.end(); ++iter) {
         // if the file does not exist anymore, we do not save it
-        if(iter->first == RECORDING_PATH_KEY && !fexist(iter->second))
+        if (iter->first == RECORDING_PATH_KEY and not file_exists(iter->second))
             o << iter->first << "=" << "" << std::endl;
         else
             o << iter->first << "=" << iter->second << std::endl;
diff --git a/daemon/src/history/historyitem.h b/daemon/src/history/historyitem.h
index e21d834b0543582cd93e23bdc7077039d010b93c..3f7e1e5143215cefc002648cfa81f13cacdc7957 100644
--- a/daemon/src/history/historyitem.h
+++ b/daemon/src/history/historyitem.h
@@ -59,7 +59,6 @@ class HistoryItem {
         bool youngerThan(unsigned long otherTime) const;
 
         std::map<std::string, std::string> toMap() const;
-        bool fexist(const std::string &str) const;
         void print(std::ostream &o) const;
         bool operator< (const HistoryItem &other) const {
                 return timestampStart_ > other.timestampStart_;