An Adelaide grandmother says she spent months fearing something was wrong inside her Housing Trust home — only to learn someone had been living in her roof.
The pensioner, who lives alone, told 7NEWS she first heard noises late last year.
“I started hearing things in the roof but at first I thought it was a possum,” she said.
But the sounds kept coming — and her cat became increasingly distressed.
“Lots of different things or items went missing but I thought, no, maybe I’ve misplaced them,” she said.
Convinced someone — or something — was in her roof space, she says she repeatedly contacted the Housing Trust.
“I told Housing countless times,” she said. “Nobody was ever sent out.”
Then, in the early hours of the morning, everything changed.
“There was this humongous bang,” she said. “It sounded like somebody had almost fallen through the roof.”
Her worst fears were realised.
“He started swearing when he fell… I was too freaked out to ring the police because I thought if I made a noise, whoever was up there would come down.”
When police searched the property later that day, she says officers found evidence someone had been living above her ceiling.
“There’s been someone up there this whole time, getting up and down in my home when I’ve been asleep,” she said.
She says police showed her what they found — a makeshift bed, tins of food, crockery, shoes and drugs.
Officers believe access may have been gained through damaged roof tiles.
Suddenly, months of unsettling moments made sense — including the toilet seat repeatedly being left up and fresh contents appearing in the bowl.
The discovery has left her shaken.
“I got quite upset and I thought, no, this is not right,” she said.
In a statement, the Housing Trust told 7NEWS it takes tenant safety seriously and will arrange to secure the roof space, but noted its staff are not trained or equipped to remove people from properties.
“I just feel like they make you out to feel like you’re stupid,” the grandmother said.
“Why wasn’t that sorted out?”
Police confirmed an investigation is ongoing, but said it would be inappropriate to comment further.
