diff --git a/manuskript/load_save/version_1.py b/manuskript/load_save/version_1.py
index 6c4f91d..9168e12 100644
--- a/manuskript/load_save/version_1.py
+++ b/manuskript/load_save/version_1.py
@@ -934,9 +934,11 @@ def outlineFromMMD(text, parent):
     @return: outlineItem
     """
 
-    item = outlineItem(parent=parent)
     md, body = parseMMDFile(text, asDict=True)
 
+    # Assign ID on creation, to avoid generating a new ID for this object
+    item = outlineItem(parent=parent, ID=md.pop('ID'))
+
     # Store metadata
     for k in md:
         if k in Outline.__members__:
diff --git a/manuskript/models/abstractItem.py b/manuskript/models/abstractItem.py
index f3fa049..11c8cfd 100644
--- a/manuskript/models/abstractItem.py
+++ b/manuskript/models/abstractItem.py
@@ -42,11 +42,19 @@ class abstractItem():
         if xml is not None:
             self.setFromXML(xml)
 
+        if parent:
+            # add this as a child to the parent, and link to the outlineModel of the parent
+            parent.appendChild(self)
+        elif not model:
+            print("Warning: floating outline item (has no parent or associated Outline model).")
+
         if ID:
             self._data[self.enum.ID] = ID
+            self._model.updateAvailableIDs(ID)  # Informs the ID distributor that this ID number has been used
+        else:
+            self._data[self.enum.ID] = self._model.requestNewID()
+
 
-        if parent:
-            parent.appendChild(self)
 
     #######################################################################
     # Model
@@ -135,8 +143,6 @@ class abstractItem():
         self.childItems.insert(row, child)
         child._parent = self
         child.setModel(self._model)
-        if not child.ID():
-            child.getUniqueID()
 
     def removeChild(self, row):
         """
@@ -195,7 +201,7 @@ class abstractItem():
     ###############################################################################
 
     def getUniqueID(self, recursive=False):
-        self.setData(self.enum.ID, self._model.rootItem.findUniqueID())
+        self.setData(self.enum.ID, self._model.requestNewID())
 
         if recursive:
             for c in self.children():
@@ -226,14 +232,6 @@ class abstractItem():
             IDs.extend(c.listAllIDs())
         return IDs
 
-    def findUniqueID(self):
-        IDs = [int(i) for i in self.IDs]
-        k = 1
-        while k in IDs:
-            k += 1
-        self.IDs.append(str(k))
-        return str(k)
-
     #######################################################################
     # Data
     #######################################################################
@@ -250,6 +248,9 @@ class abstractItem():
         # Setting data
         self._data[column] = data
 
+        if column == self.enum.ID:
+            self._model.updateAvailableIDs(data)
+
         # Emit signal
         self.emitDataChanged(cols=[column]) # new in 0.5.0
 
diff --git a/manuskript/models/abstractModel.py b/manuskript/models/abstractModel.py
index a536084..438ace2 100644
--- a/manuskript/models/abstractModel.py
+++ b/manuskript/models/abstractModel.py
@@ -40,13 +40,22 @@ class abstractModel(QAbstractItemModel):
     """
     def __init__(self, parent):
         QAbstractItemModel.__init__(self, parent)
-
-        self.rootItem = outlineItem(self, title="Root", ID="0")
+        self.nextAvailableID = 1
 
         # Stores removed item, in order to remove them on disk when saving, depending on the file format.
         self.removed = []
         self._removingRows = False
 
+    def requestNewID(self):
+        newID = self.nextAvailableID
+        self.nextAvailableID += 1
+        return str(newID)
+
+    # Call this if loading an ID from file rather than assigning a new one.
+    def updateAvailableIDs(self, addedID):
+        if int(addedID) >= self.nextAvailableID:
+            self.nextAvailableID = int(addedID) + 1
+
     def index(self, row, column, parent):
 
         if not self.hasIndex(row, column, parent):
diff --git a/manuskript/models/outlineModel.py b/manuskript/models/outlineModel.py
index 63494e2..87c6f13 100644
--- a/manuskript/models/outlineModel.py
+++ b/manuskript/models/outlineModel.py
@@ -2,11 +2,14 @@
 # --!-- coding: utf8 --!--
 
 from manuskript.models.abstractModel import abstractModel
+from manuskript.models import outlineItem
 
 
 class outlineModel(abstractModel):
     def __init__(self, parent):
         abstractModel.__init__(self, parent)
+        self.rootItem = outlineItem(model=self, title="Root", ID="0")
+
 
     def findItemsByPOV(self, POV):
         "Returns a list of IDs of all items whose POV is ``POV``."