Possum in Your Roof? How to Get It Out and Keep It Out of Your Ceiling Space

‍How do you get a possum out of your roof? You let it evict itself. Watch at dusk to find the entry point, wait until the possum leaves to feed at night, seal the hole behind it, and give it a possum box in a nearby tree so it has somewhere else to live. Possums are protected in NSW, so trapping or relocating one without a licence is illegal, and the safe shortcut is a licensed wildlife handler. Then close the highways it used to get in, including the overhead power line, and have the ceiling wiring checked for damage.

👉 See our electrical safety inspection service →

‍

1. First, Confirm It Is Actually a Possum

Ceiling noise has three usual suspects: possums, rats and birds. Possums announce themselves with weight. You will hear distinct thumps, footsteps and the occasional hiss or cough, mostly in the hour after sunset when they head out and around dawn when they return. Rats sound lighter, faster and busier, with gnawing through the night. Getting this right matters, because the fix for rats is pest control, while the fix for a possum is exclusion, and the law treats the two animals completely differently.

2. Know the Legal Bit Before You Touch Anything

Possums are protected native animals under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. It is illegal to harm one, and illegal to trap or relocate one without a catch and release licence. Even with a licence, a trapped possum must be released after dark very close to where it was caught, because a possum dumped in unfamiliar territory usually dies. Your local council explains the rules well, for example the Northern Beaches Council possum removal guide. In practice that leaves two legal paths: do the eviction yourself without touching the animal, or bring in a licensed wildlife handler.

3. The Eviction Plan That Works

The whole trick is timing: possums leave every night to feed, so you never need to touch the animal, you just need to make sure tonight's trip out is one way.

One caution that matters more than any other: never seal the roof during the day or when you are not sure the possum is out, and be extra careful in breeding season when a mother may have young stashed in the cavity. If in doubt, a licensed handler can confirm the roof is empty before it is closed up.

4. Have the Wiring Checked After the Eviction

A possum that has lived in your ceiling leaves more behind than a smell. Cables get trampled and pulled off clips, ceiling insulation gets compressed and soiled, urine soaks into plasterboard near light fittings, and the entry holes it used are an open door for rats, which genuinely do chew cable insulation. If your safety switch has started tripping or lights have gone weird since the noises began, that is not a coincidence worth ignoring. An electrical safety inspection of the roof cavity picks up damaged cables, disturbed connections and moisture damage while the fix is still small, and our fault finding service can chase anything already misbehaving.

5. Keep It Out: Branches, Lines and Guards

Sealing the roof solves the endpoint; now remove the routes. Possums reach Sydney rooftops two ways: overhanging branches, and the overhead service line they walk like a footbridge. Trim the branches, then deal with the line. A possum guard is a swivelling sleeve fitted over the conductor that spins underfoot, so the possum turns back unharmed. It is the humane, legal fix, and it goes on a live line, which is why it is fitted by a Level 2 electrician, not from a ladder on a Saturday. The full rundown is in our possum guard explainer and our wider guide to possum deterrents that actually work. If the line to your home belongs to the network rather than you, responsibility shifts to Ausgrid or Endeavour Energy, so check your network area in seconds with our postcode checker.

How High Demand Electrical Helps

We look after the electrical half of a possum eviction: inspecting the roof cavity wiring once the animal is out, repairing trampled or rodent-chewed cables, fitting possum guards to the private overhead line, and repairing any overhead service main damage the wildlife has already caused. If a possum took your power out overnight, our emergency make safe team can secure the line fast. For the animal itself, pair us with a licensed wildlife handler: they handle the possum legally, we make sure your wiring is safe and the way back in is gone.

Possum in the Roof FAQs (Sydney)

Who removes a possum from a roof legally?

Either the possum itself, by leaving at night while you seal the entry, or a licensed wildlife handler with a catch and release licence. Anyone offering to take the possum away to the bush is offering something illegal.

Should I really get the wiring checked afterwards?

Yes, especially if the possum was in residence for months. Trampled cables, soiled insulation and follow-on rodents are the classic aftermath, and a roof cavity inspection is far cheaper than an electrical fault or fire.

Can I just block the hole during the day while it sleeps outside?

No. During the day the possum is usually asleep inside your roof, not outside. Seal only after dark once it has left to feed, and confirm the cavity is empty first.

What if the possum keeps coming back along the power line?

That is exactly what a possum guard is for. The sleeve spins so the possum cannot cross the span, and it is fitted to the live line by a Level 2 electrician. See our possum guard guide.

‍

Possum gone and want the roof cavity checked properly? Book an electrical safety inspection or call 0402 559 777. Every job starts with a site assessment so scope and pricing are confirmed before any work begins. Wildlife handling rules are set by NSW authorities and your council, so use a licensed handler for anything involving the animal itself.