diff --git a/admin/index.php b/admin/index.php
index c7c050af792..f70294c79e4 100644
--- a/admin/index.php
+++ b/admin/index.php
@@ -597,14 +597,13 @@ if ($updateschecker->enabled()) {
     $pluginman = core_plugin_manager::instance();
     foreach ($pluginman->get_plugins() as $plugintype => $plugintypeinstances) {
         foreach ($plugintypeinstances as $pluginname => $plugininfo) {
-            if (!empty($plugininfo->availableupdates)) {
-                foreach ($plugininfo->availableupdates as $pluginavailableupdate) {
-                    if ($pluginavailableupdate->version > $plugininfo->versiondisk) {
-                        if (!isset($availableupdates[$plugintype.'_'.$pluginname])) {
-                            $availableupdates[$plugintype.'_'.$pluginname] = array();
-                        }
-                        $availableupdates[$plugintype.'_'.$pluginname][] = $pluginavailableupdate;
+            $pluginavailableupdates = $plugininfo->available_updates();
+            if (!empty($pluginavailableupdates)) {
+                foreach ($pluginavailableupdates as $pluginavailableupdate) {
+                    if (!isset($availableupdates[$plugintype.'_'.$pluginname])) {
+                        $availableupdates[$plugintype.'_'.$pluginname] = array();
                     }
+                    $availableupdates[$plugintype.'_'.$pluginname][] = $pluginavailableupdate;
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/admin/renderer.php b/admin/renderer.php
index e2dbb22e29e..e203a4f377c 100644
--- a/admin/renderer.php
+++ b/admin/renderer.php
@@ -1202,11 +1202,10 @@ class core_admin_renderer extends plugin_renderer_base {
             $updateable = array();
             foreach ($plugininfo as $plugintype => $pluginnames) {
                 foreach ($pluginnames as $pluginname => $pluginfo) {
-                    if (!empty($pluginfo->availableupdates)) {
-                        foreach ($pluginfo->availableupdates as $pluginavailableupdate) {
-                            if ($pluginavailableupdate->version > $pluginfo->versiondisk) {
-                                $updateable[$plugintype][$pluginname] = $pluginfo;
-                            }
+                    $pluginavailableupdates = $pluginfo->available_updates();
+                    if (!empty($pluginavailableupdates)) {
+                        foreach ($pluginavailableupdates as $pluginavailableupdate) {
+                            $updateable[$plugintype][$pluginname] = $pluginfo;
                         }
                     }
                 }
diff --git a/lib/classes/plugin_manager.php b/lib/classes/plugin_manager.php
index 328133ea2bc..af27537f84e 100644
--- a/lib/classes/plugin_manager.php
+++ b/lib/classes/plugin_manager.php
@@ -384,14 +384,6 @@ class core_plugin_manager {
         $plugins = $plugintypeclass::get_plugins($type, $types[$type], $plugintypeclass);
         $this->pluginsinfo[$type] = $plugins;
 
-        if (empty($CFG->disableupdatenotifications) and !during_initial_install()) {
-            // Append the information about available updates provided by {@link \core\update\checker()}.
-            $provider = \core\update\checker::instance();
-            foreach ($plugins as $plugininfoholder) {
-                $plugininfoholder->check_available_updates($provider);
-            }
-        }
-
         return $this->pluginsinfo[$type];
     }
 
diff --git a/lib/classes/plugininfo/base.php b/lib/classes/plugininfo/base.php
index 6f7b2e69bcd..71f0187fe9d 100644
--- a/lib/classes/plugininfo/base.php
+++ b/lib/classes/plugininfo/base.php
@@ -61,8 +61,9 @@ abstract class base {
     public $instances;
     /** @var int order of the plugin among other plugins of the same type - not supported yet */
     public $sortorder;
+
     /** @var array|null array of {@link \core\update\info} for this plugin */
-    public $availableupdates;
+    protected $availableupdates;
 
     /**
      * Finds all enabled plugins, the result may include missing plugins.
@@ -394,18 +395,25 @@ abstract class base {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Populates the property {@link $availableupdates} with the information provided by
-     * available update checker
+     * Populates the property {@link $availableupdates}
      *
-     * @param \core\update\checker $provider the class providing the available update info
+     * This is supposed to be called by {@link self::available_updates()} only
+     * to lazy load the data once they are first requested.
      */
-    public function check_available_updates(\core\update\checker $provider) {
+    protected function load_available_updates() {
         global $CFG;
 
+        $provider = \core\update\checker::instance();
+
+        if (!$provider->enabled() or during_initial_install()) {
+            $this->availableupdates = array();
+            return;
+        }
+
         if (isset($CFG->updateminmaturity)) {
             $minmaturity = $CFG->updateminmaturity;
         } else {
-            // This can happen during the very first upgrade to 2.3 .
+            // This can happen during the very first upgrade to 2.3.
             $minmaturity = MATURITY_STABLE;
         }
 
@@ -424,6 +432,11 @@ abstract class base {
      */
     public function available_updates() {
 
+        if ($this->availableupdates === null) {
+            // Lazy load the information about available updates.
+            $this->load_available_updates();
+        }
+
         if (empty($this->availableupdates) or !is_array($this->availableupdates)) {
             return null;
         }