diff --git a/controlpanel/api/helm.py b/controlpanel/api/helm.py
index a61a06f18..74de216e0 100644
--- a/controlpanel/api/helm.py
+++ b/controlpanel/api/helm.py
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ def upgrade_release(self, release, chart, *args):
         HelmRepository.update()
 
         return self.__class__.execute(
-            "upgrade", "--install", "--wait", release, chart, *args,
+            "upgrade", "--install", "--wait", "--force", release, chart, *args,
         )
 
     def delete(self, purge=True, *args):
diff --git a/tests/api/test_helm.py b/tests/api/test_helm.py
index 133078575..516e756cc 100644
--- a/tests/api/test_helm.py
+++ b/tests/api/test_helm.py
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 import pytest
-from unittest.mock import patch
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
 
 from controlpanel.api.helm import (
     Chart,
+    helm,
     HelmRepository,
 )
 
@@ -16,10 +17,7 @@ def setup_function(fn):
 def test_chart_app_version():
     app_version = "RStudio: 1.2.1335+conda, R: 3.5.1, Python: 3.7.1, patch: 10"
     chart = Chart(
-        "rstudio",
-        "RStudio with Auth0 authentication proxy",
-        "2.2.5",
-        app_version,
+        "rstudio", "RStudio with Auth0 authentication proxy", "2.2.5", app_version,
     )
 
     assert chart.app_version == app_version
@@ -53,7 +51,9 @@ def test_helm_repository_chart_info_when_chart_found(helm_repository_index):
         # See tests/api/fixtures/helm_mojanalytics_index.py
         rstudio_info = HelmRepository.get_chart_info("rstudio")
 
-        rstudio_2_2_5_app_version = "RStudio: 1.2.1335+conda, R: 3.5.1, Python: 3.7.1, patch: 10"
+        rstudio_2_2_5_app_version = (
+            "RStudio: 1.2.1335+conda, R: 3.5.1, Python: 3.7.1, patch: 10"
+        )
 
         assert len(rstudio_info) == 2
         assert "2.2.5" in rstudio_info
@@ -64,3 +64,19 @@ def test_helm_repository_chart_info_when_chart_found(helm_repository_index):
         # "recently" so for testing that for old chart
         # version this returns `None`
         assert rstudio_info["1.0.0"].app_version == None
+
+
+def test_helm_upgrade_release():
+    helm.__class__.execute = MagicMock()
+
+    upgrade_args = (
+        "release-name",
+        "helm-chart-name",
+        "--namespace=user-alice",
+        "--set=username=alice",
+    )
+    helm.upgrade_release(*upgrade_args)
+
+    helm.__class__.execute.assert_called_with(
+        "upgrade", "--install", "--wait", "--force", *upgrade_args,
+    )