diff --git a/templates/master/00-master/azure/files/opt-libexec-openshift-azure-routes-sh.yaml b/templates/master/00-master/azure/files/opt-libexec-openshift-azure-routes-sh.yaml
index 75ec6a8925..c204690069 100644
--- a/templates/master/00-master/azure/files/opt-libexec-openshift-azure-routes-sh.yaml
+++ b/templates/master/00-master/azure/files/opt-libexec-openshift-azure-routes-sh.yaml
@@ -174,6 +174,12 @@ contents:
             remove_stale
             add_rules
             echo "done applying vip rules"
+            # Arbitrary delay to avoid synchronizing too quickly on file changes; the VIP
+            # file could change multiple times quickly, but we don't need to react instantly
+            # to every change.  Most crucially we want to be sure we don't trip over the
+            # default systemd StartLimitBurst/StartLimitIterval settings which are 5 and 10s
+            # respectively.
+            sleep 3
             ;;
         cleanup)
             clear_rules