An Adelaide grandmother who spent months believing a noisy possum was living in her roof has been left traumatised after discovering a squatter had been secretly residing in her attic.
The Shocking Discovery
The pensioner, who lives alone in a Housing Trust home, had noticed unusual occurrences since late 2025. Along with strange noises overhead, her cat became increasingly distressed, and household items would periodically vanish.
“Lots of different things or items went missing, but I thought, ‘no, maybe I’ve misplaced them’,” she told 7NEWS.
Her worst fears were realised in the early hours of the morning when a deafening bang echoed through her home. “It sounded like somebody had almost fallen through the roof,” she said. Hiding in terror, she heard a person swearing directly above her ceiling. “I was too freaked out to ring the police because I thought if I made a noise, whoever was up there would come down.”
Police Investigation
When police later searched the property, they confirmed that an unidentified squatter had set up a hidden camp in the ceiling cavity. Officers uncovered a makeshift bed, shoes, crockery, tins of food, and drugs. It is believed the intruder gained entry through damaged tiles and would sneak down into the home while the elderly resident was asleep.
Suddenly, months of unsettling anomalies made terrifying sense to the grandmother, including her toilet seat repeatedly being left up and fresh contents appearing in the bowl. “There’s been someone up there this whole time, getting up and down in my home when I’ve been asleep,” she revealed. “I got quite upset, and I thought, no, this is not right.”
Housing Trust Response
The pensioner claims she had repeatedly flagged the suspicious noises with the Housing Trust before the discovery, but alleges no one was sent to help. “I just feel like they make you out to feel like you’re stupid,” she explained. “Why wasn’t that sorted out?”
In a statement, the Housing Trust insisted it takes tenant safety seriously. “The Housing Trust was made aware of concerns last week and has since visited the home multiple times to ensure the property is secure, including by fixing the roof and changing the locks,” Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Nick Champion, told news.com.au. “The Housing Trust will continue to work with the tenant to ensure she feels safe in her home. I encourage anyone who has immediate fears for their safety in their home or if they think someone is trespassing on their property to contact police.”
A South Australian Police spokesperson told news.com.au that “investigations into the incident are ongoing”.
