diff --git a/beem/steem.py b/beem/steem.py
index a482d507cafa1bae7c2674d4d4f774618d572067..241fdcf636b268b5715c875485c5d3fe0acd6347 100644
--- a/beem/steem.py
+++ b/beem/steem.py
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ class Steem(object):
             self.refresh_data()
             return self.data['dynamic_global_properties']
         else:
-            if not self.rpc:
+            if self.rpc is None:
                 return None
             if self.rpc.get_use_appbase():
                 return self.rpc.get_dynamic_global_properties(api="database")
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ class Steem(object):
             self.refresh_data()
             return self.data['reserve_ratio']
         else:
-            if not self.rpc:
+            if self.rpc is None:
                 return None
             if self.rpc.get_use_appbase():
                 return self.rpc.get_reserve_ratio(api="witness")
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ class Steem(object):
             self.refresh_data()
             return self.data['feed_history']
         else:
-            if not self.rpc:
+            if self.rpc is None:
                 return None
             if self.rpc.get_use_appbase():
                 return self.rpc.get_feed_history(api="database")
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ class Steem(object):
             self.refresh_data()
             return self.data['reward_funds']
         else:
-            if not self.rpc:
+            if self.rpc is None:
                 return None
             if self.rpc.get_use_appbase():
                 funds = self.rpc.get_reward_funds(api="database")['funds']
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ class Steem(object):
             self.refresh_data()
             return self.data['get_feed_history']['current_median_history']
         else:
-            if not self.rpc:
+            if self.rpc is None:
                 return None
             if self.rpc.get_use_appbase():
                 return self.rpc.get_feed_history(api="database")['current_median_history']
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ class Steem(object):
             self.refresh_data()
             return self.data['hardfork_properties']
         else:
-            if not self.rpc:
+            if self.rpc is None:
                 return None
             if self.rpc.get_use_appbase():
                 return self.rpc.get_hardfork_properties(api="database")
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ class Steem(object):
             self.refresh_data()
             return self.data['network']
         else:
-            if not self.rpc:
+            if self.rpc is None:
                 return None
             return self.rpc.get_network()
 
@@ -437,7 +437,7 @@ class Steem(object):
             self.refresh_data()
             return self.data['witness_schedule']
         else:
-            if not self.rpc:
+            if self.rpc is None:
                 return None
             if self.rpc.get_use_appbase():
                 return self.rpc.get_witness_schedule(api="database")
@@ -451,7 +451,7 @@ class Steem(object):
             self.refresh_data()
             return self.data['config']
         else:
-            if not self.rpc:
+            if self.rpc is None:
                 return None
             if self.rpc.get_use_appbase():
                 return self.rpc.get_config(api="database")
diff --git a/beem/transactionbuilder.py b/beem/transactionbuilder.py
index 4906c33b3dd8027e6e5a4ce232e1747a231fa697..96bc0d9b3fc91b7ac75ce2de49850530996bb275 100644
--- a/beem/transactionbuilder.py
+++ b/beem/transactionbuilder.py
@@ -173,7 +173,8 @@ class TransactionBuilder(dict):
             else:
                 if isinstance(account, string_types):
                     account = Account(account, steem_instance=self.steem)
-                assert permission in account, "Could not access permission"
+                if permission not in account:
+                    raise AssertionError("Could not access permission")
                 required_treshold = account[permission]["weight_threshold"]
                 keys = fetchkeys(account, permission)
                 if permission != "owner":
diff --git a/beemapi/websocket.py b/beemapi/websocket.py
index cc23068b1572556efcf6101a41f2f2ac795d088a..bf529ac12366f4ee1a99b1b3044d5835c723d16d 100644
--- a/beemapi/websocket.py
+++ b/beemapi/websocket.py
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ class SteemWebsocket(Events):
         #     self.on_account += on_account
 
     def cancel_subscriptions(self):
+        """cancel_all_subscriptions removed from api"""
         # self.cancel_all_subscriptions()
         # api call removed in 0.19.1
         log.exception("cancel_all_subscriptions removed from api")
@@ -121,10 +122,12 @@ class SteemWebsocket(Events):
         self.keepalive.start()
 
     def reset_subscriptions(self, accounts=[]):
+        """Reset subscriptions"""
         # self.subscription_accounts = accounts
         self.__set_subscriptions()
 
     def __set_subscriptions(self):
+        """set subscriptions ot on_block function"""
         # self.cancel_all_subscriptions()
         # Subscribe to events on the Backend and give them a
         # callback number that allows us to identify the event
@@ -136,6 +139,7 @@ class SteemWebsocket(Events):
                 self.__events__.index('on_block'))
 
     def _ping(self):
+        """Send keep_alive request"""
         # We keep the connetion alive by requesting a short object
         def ping(self):
             while not self.run_event.wait(self.keep_alive):
@@ -273,6 +277,7 @@ class SteemWebsocket(Events):
                 log.critical("{}\n\n{}".format(str(e), traceback.format_exc()))
 
     def get_request_id(self):
+        """Generates next request id"""
         self._request_id += 1
         return self._request_id