diff --git a/build.xml b/build.xml
index 58588cf60..b3ab582fc 100644
--- a/build.xml
+++ b/build.xml
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@
   <property name="build.tests" value="${build.dir}/testcases"/>
   <property name="build.tests.javadocs" value="${build.dir}/javadocs.test/"/>
   <property name="build.junit.xml" location="${build.tests}/xml"/>
+  <property name="build.junit.tmpdir" location="${build.tests}/tmp"/>
   <property name="antunit.xml" location="${build.dir}/antunit/xml"/>
   <property name="antunit.tmpdir" location="${build.dir}/antunit/tmp"/>
   <property name="antunit.reports" location="${build.dir}/antunit/reports"/>
@@ -1664,6 +1665,7 @@ see ${build.junit.reports} / ${antunit.reports}
           <sysproperty key="build.compiler" value="${build.compiler}"/>
           <sysproperty key="tests.and.ant.share.classloader"
                        value="${tests.and.ant.share.classloader}"/>
+          <sysproperty key="java.io.tmpdir" file="${build.junit.tmpdir}"/>
           <classpath>
             <path refid="tests-runtime-classpath"/>
             <pathelement location="${junit.collector.dir}"/>
diff --git a/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/optional/unix/symlink-test.xml b/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/optional/unix/symlink-test.xml
index 1859db62a..90c57f43c 100644
--- a/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/optional/unix/symlink-test.xml
+++ b/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/optional/unix/symlink-test.xml
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@
   <target name="testDeleteWithNoPermissionToRenameTarget"
           depends="init" if="unix">
     <!-- must be outside of ${output} or "base" tearDown will fail -->
-    <property name="chmod.tmp" location="${java.io.tmpdir}/ant-symlink-test"/>
+    <property name="chmod.tmp" location="${output}/../ant-symlink-test"/>
     <mkdir dir="${chmod.tmp}/A"/>
     <chmod perm="555" dir="${chmod.tmp}"/>
     <symlink link="${output}/link" resource="${chmod.tmp}/A"/>