diff --git a/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/Adaptive_sizing_field.h b/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/Adaptive_sizing_field.h
index b2444f258c9..236ac2fb6a1 100644
--- a/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/Adaptive_sizing_field.h
+++ b/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/Adaptive_sizing_field.h
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ public:
                     get(m_vpmap, source(h, pmesh)));
   }
 
-  const DefaultVPMap& get_vpmap() const { return m_vpmap; }
+  DefaultVPMap get_vpmap() const { return m_vpmap; }
 
   void update_sizing_map(const vertex_descriptor v, const PolygonMesh& pmesh)
   {
diff --git a/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/Uniform_sizing_field.h b/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/Uniform_sizing_field.h
index 1b3c3b3f60b..0b45fecb768 100644
--- a/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/Uniform_sizing_field.h
+++ b/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/Uniform_sizing_field.h
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ public:
                     get(m_vpmap, source(h, pmesh)));
   }
 
-  const VPMap& get_vpmap() const { return m_vpmap; }
+  VPMap get_vpmap() const { return m_vpmap; }
 
 private:
   FT m_sq_short;
diff --git a/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/internal/Isotropic_remeshing/Sizing_field_base.h b/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/internal/Isotropic_remeshing/Sizing_field_base.h
index 2ab66f8532a..89337716c94 100644
--- a/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/internal/Isotropic_remeshing/Sizing_field_base.h
+++ b/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/internal/Isotropic_remeshing/Sizing_field_base.h
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ public:
                                            const PolygonMesh& pmesh) const = 0;
   virtual Point_3 split_placement(const halfedge_descriptor h, const PolygonMesh& pmesh) const = 0;
 
-  virtual const VPMap& get_vpmap() const = 0;
+  virtual VPMap get_vpmap() const = 0;
 
 };