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Survey & Entry Point ID
Our technician thoroughly inspects your roof, eaves, and subfloor to identify every single entry point the possums are using.
Possum Removal Sydney & Perth
Humane Possum Removal & Roof Proofing Options
We inspect your roof and walls, explain humane and lawful removal options, then identify entry points that need proofing after the space is confirmed empty.
Possum Problems - What's That Noise?
Why Possums in Your Roof Are a Serious Problem
As protected native animals, possums are a valued part of our ecosystem. However, when they take up residence in your roof void, they become a noisy, destructive, and unhygienic pest. DIY removal is illegal and ineffective; professional trapping and proofing is the only solution.
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Noise & Sleep Disruption
Possums are nocturnal and their heavy thumping, scratching, and fighting in the ceiling will keep your family awake all night.
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Significant Property Damage
They tear up insulation, chew electrical wires (creating a fire risk), and their urine and droppings can stain and ruin ceilings.
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Proofing is Crucial
Possums are territorial. Simply removing one is not enough, as another will quickly move in if the entry points aren't professionally sealed.
Get a Possum Proofing Quote
Ask us to confirm the required handler licence
Common Signs
- • Loud noises at night
- • Stains on the ceiling
- • Strong, unpleasant odour
- • Damage to eaves/gutters
Our Approach
- • Entry point identification
- • Humane trapping/one-way doors
- • Entry-point proofing
Professional Possum Removal
Sydney
Perth
How We Humanely Remove Possums: Our 4-Step Method
A careful workflow that identifies the animal, checks for young, explains licence requirements and closes entry points only after the roof is confirmed empty.
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Humane Removal
We install a one-way door over the main entry or set a cage trap. This allows the possum to leave safely but prevents its return.
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Entry-Point Proofing
Once the possum is out, we professionally seal all identified entry points with durable materials like mesh, metal flashing, or sealants.
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Final Check & Cleanup
We remove our traps/doors and can provide an optional cleanup service to sanitize the area, removing droppings and neutralizing odours.
Licence requirements checked • Entry points mapped • Humane methods only
Why Choose Us?
Possum removal requires specialist knowledge. Here’s why homeowners and businesses trust us for a permanent solution.
Licence-Aware Planning
Possum capture and release requires a current licence. Ask us to confirm the licensed handler for any work that requires capture.
Humane Methods
Our methods focus on safe, stress-free removal and release. We never harm the animal.
Proofing Scope Explained
We identify visible entry points and explain the proposed materials, access limits and proofing scope before work starts.
Booking Availability
Call to check the next appointment and ask whether a same-day inspection is available for your suburb.
Simple Tips to Keep Possums Out
Proactive steps our Sydney & Perth customers use to make their property less attractive to possums.
Trim Overhanging Branches
Keep tree limbs at least 2 metres away from your roofline to remove their favourite access highway.
Maintain Your Roof
Regularly check for and repair broken tiles, loose ridge capping, and damaged eaves that create entry points.
Secure Food Sources
Keep compost bins and rubbish bins tightly sealed and avoid leaving pet food out overnight.
Block Access Underneath
Install mesh or solid barriers to block possum access to the space under decks and verandas.
Install a Possum Box
Provide an alternative, more attractive home by installing a dedicated possum box in a suitable tree in your yard.
Use Motion-Sensor Lights
These can sometimes deter possums from settling in a particular area, such as near a pergola or deck.
Do this
- • Listen for noises at night to try and pinpoint their location
- • Check your roofline for any obvious gaps or damage
- • Ask the provider to confirm a current licence if capture is required
Avoid this
- • Illegally trapping or harming a possum
- • Blocking an entry hole (you may trap it inside)
- • Leaving food out to deliberately feed them
Hearing noises in the roof? Book an inspection to identify the animal, check for young and map the entry points before any opening is sealed.
Quick answer
How do you get a possum out of the roof legally?
Possums are protected native animals. In New South Wales, capture and release requires a current licence, and a captured possum must be released after sunset on the property where it was caught, within 150 metres of the capture point and against something it can immediately climb. Exclusion and proofing should begin only after the roof is checked for dependent young and confirmed empty.
- Legal status
- Protected under state wildlife legislation
- Timing
- Depends on access, animal activity and dependent young
- Relocation limit
- On the same property, within 150 m in NSW, after sunset
Identification and law
Which Possum Is In Your Roof, And What The Law Allows
Two species account for nearly every roof complaint in Australian cities. Both are protected, and the penalties for harming them are substantial.
| Species | Appearance | Behaviour and noise | Where it nests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula | Cat sized, silver-grey, bushy black tail, pink nose, large pointed ears | Heavy thumping and dragging across the ceiling, loud hissing and clicking calls | Roof voids, wall cavities, chimneys, garages, hollow trees |
| Common ringtail possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus | Smaller, grey-brown with rusty patches, curled tail with a white tip | Lighter scampering, high-pitched twittering, more often heard in the garden | Builds a spherical nest called a drey in dense shrubs, occasionally in eaves |
New South Wales
Possums are protected under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. A brushtail possum in a building may be trapped only with an appropriate licence or under the National Parks and Wildlife Service general conditions, and it must be released on the same property within 50 metres of the capture point, at dusk, within 24 hours. Relocating one to a park or bushland is illegal and it usually dies, because it enters territory already held by another possum.
Western Australia
Possums are protected fauna under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (WA), administered by DBCA. Removal from a building requires the animal to be handled humanely and released in accordance with departmental conditions. Harming, poisoning or deliberately trapping a possum without authority carries significant penalties.
Why act quickly
What A Possum In The Roof Actually Does
Urine staining and odour
A brushtail uses the same latrine spot every night. Urine soaks through insulation into the plasterboard and leaves brown ceiling stains and a persistent ammonia smell that repainting alone will not fix.
Chewed wiring and ducting
Possums crush and tear flexible air conditioning duct to make a nest, and they scratch through cable sheathing. Both are common causes of unexplained system failures and call-out bills.
Sleep disruption
Brushtails are nocturnal and territorial. Thumping, dragging and fighting between males directly above a bedroom ceiling is the single most common reason people call us.
Secondary pests
Possums carry fleas, mites and ticks that move into the ceiling space and then into the house. If a possum dies in a cavity, the odour and fly activity that follow need dead animal removal.
Our method
The Humane Removal Process Step By Step
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1. Roof and perimeter inspection
We confirm the species from droppings, fur and rub marks, count the animals, check for dependent young, and map every entry point along the eaves, tile line, gable vents and fascia gaps.
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2. One-way exit door installed
A hinged door fitted over the main entry lets the possum leave to feed at night but not return. This avoids trapping, avoids stress, and avoids the risk of sealing an animal inside.
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3. Alternative housing provided
A weatherproof nest box is mounted in a nearby tree or on a fence, at least 4 metres up and facing away from prevailing weather. Possums that are given a replacement home are far less likely to force their way back into the roof.
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4. Full proofing
Once we confirm the roof is empty, every gap is closed with steel mesh, capping and timber. Overhanging branches within reach of the roofline are cut back, because possums jump readily from a branch to a gutter.
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5. Clean-up and follow-up
Contaminated insulation is removed where needed, the void is sanitised and deodorised, and any fleas or mites left behind are treated. We return to verify the proofing has held.
Quotes
What Affects Possum Removal Cost?
- Roof height, pitch and safe access requirements
- The number and condition of visible entry points
- Whether dependent young are present
- The amount of proofing, clean-up or insulation work required
- Whether licensed capture and release work is needed
Ask for a written, site-specific quote before work begins. No fixed price or warranty term is stated here until it has been verified with the client.
Keeping them out
Stopping Possums Returning To The Roof
Cut back the access routes
Possums jump around a metre horizontally from branch to gutter. Prune trees back at least 1.5 m from the roof line and fit a smooth metal collar around trunks that lead directly onto the house.
Close the small gaps first
A brushtail squeezes through a gap the size of a house brick. Broken tiles, lifted ridge capping, open gable vents, gaps behind the fascia and the space where the veranda roof meets the wall are the usual entries.
Remove the food attraction
Do not leave fruit, bread or pet food out. Net fruit trees and vegetable beds properly with wildlife-safe netting that has apertures under 5 mm, since loose netting entangles possums and birds.
Give them somewhere better
A well-sited nest box works because the possum keeps its territory without needing your ceiling. In suburbs where old trees have been cleared, the shortage of natural hollows is exactly why roofs get used in the first place.
Local Sydney pages
Possum Removal by Suburb
Choose a verified NSW suburb for local roof-access notes, postcode details and current licence guidance.
Richmond 2753
St Leonards 2065
Leichhardt 2040
Epping 2121
Russell Lea 2046
Dulwich Hill 2203
Chatswood 2067
Wahroonga 2076
Greenacre 2190
Dural 2158
Summer Hill 2130
Pymble 2073
Beecroft 2119
Gladesville 2111
Mosman 2088
If the roof signs point to another pest, compare moth control, silverfish treatment, ant control, wasp removal, bird nesting control, bed bug treatment and spider control.
Help centre
Possum Removal FAQs
What the law allows, what affects cost, and what happens to the animal. Ask about the next inspection.
Is it illegal to
relocate a possum?
Possums are protected
in New South Wales and capture and release requires a current licence. NSW guidance
says a captured possum must be released after sunset, on the property where it was
captured, within 150 metres of the capture point and against a structure it can
immediately climb.
Why not just block the
hole?
Because you may seal
the possum inside, or seal a mother out and leave dependent young in the roof. Both
end with a dead animal in the ceiling and a serious odour problem. The one-way door
is used precisely so the animal leaves under its own power before anything is
closed.
How do I know if it is
a possum or rats in my roof?
Possums are heavy and
slow. You hear thumping, dragging and hissing, usually shortly after dark and again
before dawn, and the droppings are 15 to 20 mm long. Rats are fast and light, with
scurrying and continuous gnawing, and droppings around 12 mm. Our rodent control page
covers the rat side.
Can I poison or shoot a
possum?
No. Harming a
protected native animal is an offence carrying heavy fines and, in serious cases,
imprisonment. There is also no registered possum poison in Australia. Anyone
offering to poison one is acting illegally and should not be on your property.
Do mothballs, ammonia
or ultrasonic devices get rid of possums?
They give short-lived
results at best. Possums habituate quickly, and mothball vapour in a roof void is a
genuine health risk for the people below. Ultrasonic units have no meaningful effect
through insulation and ceiling material. Exclusion is the only method that lasts.
How much does possum
removal cost?
Cost depends on roof
height and pitch, safe access, the number of entry points, whether dependent young
are present, and the amount of proofing or clean-up required. Ask for a written,
site-specific quote before work begins.
What if there are baby
possums in the roof?
We check for
dependent young before installing any exclusion. If a joey is present we delay the
one-way door until it is mobile enough to leave with the mother, or we work with a
licensed wildlife carer. Separating a mother from her young is both inhumane and
unlawful.
Will the possum come
back?
It will try, because
that roof is inside its established territory. This is why the job is not finished
at removal. Complete proofing, a nest box as an alternative, and trimming branches
back from the roofline can reduce the chance of re-entry. Ask for the exact proofing
scope and any written warranty terms before approving work.
Do possums carry
disease?
Direct disease
transmission to people is uncommon, though possums can carry leptospirosis and a
form of dermatitis that affects some people who handle them. The more practical
concern is the fleas, mites and ticks they leave in the roof void, and the bacteria
in accumulated urine and droppings. Sanitising the void resolves both.
How long does the whole
job take?
The inspection and
one-way door go in on the first visit. Most possums leave on the first or second
night. We return after two to five nights to confirm the void is empty and complete
the proofing. Insulation removal, if needed, is scheduled separately.
Other Pest Services
We offer a full suite of pest control services to protect your property.
Cockroach Control
Professional treatments to eradicate cockroaches and prevent their return.
Rodent Control
Safe removal and exclusion of rats and mice from your home or business.
Bird Control
Bird assessment, nest cleaning, and site-specific proofing solutions.
Bee Removal
Safe and humane removal and relocation of bee swarms and hives.
Hearing Noises in Your Roof?
Speak with our possum removal experts or book a free quote online. We service Sydney, Perth and surrounding areas with inspection and proofing options.
Booking phone
+61 424 093 612
WhatsApp Support
Instant responses
Service Areas
We provide prompt possum removal across both cities:
- Sydney CBD & Suburbs
- Northern Beaches & North Shore
- Perth City & Metro
- Gold Coast & Surrounds
If you’re unsure whether we cover your suburb, contact us and we will get it sorted.