diff --git a/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/ItUtils.java b/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/ItUtils.java
index 72bef537c88e..37e952352fda 100644
--- a/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/ItUtils.java
+++ b/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/ItUtils.java
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ public static void assertCanonicalFileEquals(Path expected, Path actual) throws
     }
 
     public static void createFile(Path path) throws IOException {
+        Files.deleteIfExists(path);
         Files.createFile(path);
     }
 
diff --git a/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/MavenITmng3955EffectiveSettingsTest.java b/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/MavenITmng3955EffectiveSettingsTest.java
index 77103a0937ea..e3900a57aa0e 100644
--- a/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/MavenITmng3955EffectiveSettingsTest.java
+++ b/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/MavenITmng3955EffectiveSettingsTest.java
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ public void testitMNG3955() throws Exception {
         Verifier verifier = newVerifier(testDir);
         Path localRepo = verifier.getLocalRepository();
         verifier.setAutoclean(false);
+        verifier.deleteDirectory("target");
         verifier.addCliArgument("-Dmaven.repo.local.tail=" + localRepo);
         verifier.addCliArgument("--settings");
         verifier.addCliArgument("settings.xml");
diff --git a/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/MavenITmng7967ArtifactHandlerLanguageTest.java b/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/MavenITmng7967ArtifactHandlerLanguageTest.java
index 367843935faa..fd59efa1d612 100644
--- a/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/MavenITmng7967ArtifactHandlerLanguageTest.java
+++ b/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/MavenITmng7967ArtifactHandlerLanguageTest.java
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ void javadocIsExecutedAndFailed() throws Exception {
         Verifier verifier = newVerifier(testDir);
         verifier.deleteDirectory("target");
         verifier.addCliArgument("org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-javadoc-plugin:3.6.3:jar");
+        verifier.addCliArgument("-Ddoclint=all");
 
         boolean invocationFailed = false;
         // whatever outcome we do not fail here, but later
diff --git a/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/MavenITmng8181CentralRepoTest.java b/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/MavenITmng8181CentralRepoTest.java
index 28c934e5be5e..215dcc3e8206 100644
--- a/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/MavenITmng8181CentralRepoTest.java
+++ b/its/core-it-suite/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/it/MavenITmng8181CentralRepoTest.java
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ public void testitModel() throws Exception {
         verifier.addCliArgument("-Dmaven.repo.local.tail=target/null");
         // note: intentionally bad URL, we just want tu ensure that this bad URL is used
         verifier.addCliArgument("-Dmaven.repo.central=https://repo1.maven.org");
+        verifier.addCliArgument("-U");
         verifier.addCliArgument("validate");
         verifier.setHandleLocalRepoTail(false); // we want isolation to have Maven fail due bad URL
         assertThrows(VerificationException.class, verifier::execute);
diff --git a/its/core-it-suite/src/test/resources/mng-3955/settings.xml b/its/core-it-suite/src/test/resources/mng-3955/settings.xml
index 73d5f696e7d9..cf9c202fef25 100644
--- a/its/core-it-suite/src/test/resources/mng-3955/settings.xml
+++ b/its/core-it-suite/src/test/resources/mng-3955/settings.xml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ under the License.
 -->
 
 <settings xmlns='http://maven.apache.org/SETTINGS/1.0.0'>
-  <localRepository>mng-3955</localRepository>
+  <localRepository>target/mng-3955</localRepository>
   <offline>false</offline>
   <interactiveMode>true</interactiveMode>
 </settings>