A grandmother who thought she had a large possum living in her attic made a terrifying discovery of a far more sinister resident living in her home. The pensioner, who lives alone in a Housing Trust home in Adelaide, South Australia, noticed a series of strange occurrences starting in late 2025. She heard peculiar overhead noises, her cat became increasingly distressed, and some household items had disappeared.
Strange occurrences
'Lots of different things or items went missing, but I thought, no, maybe I've misplaced them,' the woman told Australian news outlet 7NEWS. She was shocked to find the truth when a loud thud echoed through her home in the early hours of the morning. 'There was this humungous bang,' she said. 'It sounded like somebody had almost fallen through the roof.' She hid in terror as expletives came from 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,' she said.
Police discovery
Police later searched the property and confirmed that an unidentified squatter had set up a hidden camp in the ceiling cavity. A makeshift bed, shoes, crockery, tins of food, and drugs were discovered in the woman's attic. It is believed the intruder gained entry to the roof space through damaged tiles and snuck down into the home while the elderly resident was asleep.
Realization
Months of terrifying abnormalities suddenly made 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 said. 'I got quite upset, and I thought, no, this is not right.'
Housing Trust response
The pensioner said she had repeatedly flagged the suspicious noises with the Housing Trust before the discovery, but no one was sent out to help. 'They make you out to feel like you're stupid,' she explained. In a statement, the Housing Trust insisted it takes tenant safety seriously. Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Nick Champion, told Australian news site news.com.au that the Housing Trust was made aware of concerns last week. He said it has since visited the home multiple times to ensure the property is secure. The roof has been fixed and the locks changed, he added. '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 who are the appropriate agency to deal with this,' he said. A South Australian Police spokesperson has told news.com.au that investigations are ongoing.
