Possum Removal Sydney
Hearing scratching noises above your ceiling at night? Pest Power Sydney provides licensed, humane possum removal across Sydney, protecting your property and complying with New South Wales wildlife law.
Signs of Possum Infestation in Your Property
Noises from the Roof
Thumping and scratching noises from your roof at night are a strong sign that possums have moved in. Their movement is noticeably heavier than that of rodents, and you may also hear hissing or clicking sounds from a mother communicating with her joey.
Possum Droppings
Possum droppings are dark, cylindrical, and much larger than rat droppings. You'll typically find them in the roof cavity, along fence lines, or near fruit trees. Spotting them regularly means a possum has established territory on your property and won't leave on its own.
Building Damage
With sharp teeth and claws, possums tear through insulation, chew electrical wires, and damage roof tiles at entry points. Urine soaks into ceiling sheeting over time, causing staining, structural softening, and persistent odours. In older Sydney homes, the damage bill adds up quickly.
Unpleasant Odours
Possum urine and droppings accumulate fast in a confined roof space, producing a strong ammonia-like smell that can penetrate your ceiling lining. Dead possums in the roof create an even more intense odour requiring urgent attention. Call us for a same-day inspection.
Licensed & Certified Possum Removal Experts
At Pest Power Sydney, we are fully licensed and accredited to carry out possum control services in accordance with New South Wales wildlife law. Possums are protected native animals under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, which means trapping or handling one without the correct licence is illegal.
Every possum control Sydney job we carry out meets the standards set by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, from the humane methods we use during trapping right through to how we release possums afterwards. As part of our broader pest control service, our team also operates as experienced pest exterminators, handling a wide range of pest issues across residential and commercial properties.
Our possum catchers are trained wildlife handlers who understand both the behaviour of these animals and the legal obligations that come with working with protected species in Australia. We don’t just remove the animal we also consider its well-being as part of the process. Possums play an important role in their
Which Possum Is in Your Roof? Brushtail or Ringtail
Brushtail Possum
Brushtail possums are among the most regularly occurring possum species in Sydney. Thick, bushy tails define these nocturnal creatures, which are typically drawn to homes with access to attics, rooftops, or tree branches. Professional possum pest control is often needed to remove them safely and seal the entry points they use.
Ringtail Possum
The Ringtail Possum is another frequent species in Sydney. It is smaller than the Brushtail but has a unique long, bushy tail with a white tip. Ringtail possums are also nocturnal and use roof spaces, trees, or walls for shelter. Possum control Sydney services are essential to manage their presence legally and humanely.
Which species is in your roof changes the method, the timeline and what the law allows, so identifying it is the first thing our technicians do.
Brushtail possum. Cat-sized, grey, with a bushy black tail and large pointed ears. Dens in cavities, which is why it is usually the one in your roof. The noise is heavy: thumping, dragging, and territorial hissing or coughing after dark. Droppings are large, dark and cylindrical, often piled in one spot. A brushtail may lawfully be trapped by a licensed operator and released on the same property, within 150 metres of capture, after sunset.
Ringtail possum. About half the size, grey-brown, with a thin tail that has a distinct white tip it curls into a ring. Builds a nest of its own, called a drey, in dense shrubs or a sheltered roof corner rather than denning in a cavity. The noise is much lighter, a quick scurrying that people often mistake for rats. Droppings are smaller and more pellet-like. Ringtails are not trapped: the lawful approach is exclusion plus a nest box.
Not sure which you have? Heavy, slow thumping directly overhead is almost always a brushtail. Fast, light scurrying along the eaves is a ringtail or a rodent, and scratching noises in the roof at night explains how to tell those two apart. Our inspection confirms it either way before anything is trapped or sealed.
Want Possum Control in Sydney? Choose Pest Power Sydney
We specialise in humane and effective possum pest control for Sydney homes and businesses. Every job includes a thorough inspection, safe possum trapping, a compliant release, and sealing of all potential entry points to prevent possums from returning. As part of our emergency pest control services, we respond quickly to urgent possum issues across Sydney, ensuring your property is protected without delay. Our possum control services are fully compliant with New South Wales wildlife regulations, with fast response times across all Sydney suburbs.
Professional Possum Removal in Sydney
With over fifteen years of wildlife control experience, our Sydney team provides safe, humane, and reliable possum removal services across the city. Our licensed specialists understand possum behaviour and use approved, ethical methods while complying with Australian wildlife laws.
Possums are protected native animals, so removal must be handled carefully and legally using humane trapping and exclusion techniques. We use professional tools, inspections, and proven strategies to remove possums from roofs, walls, and other areas while sealing entry points to prevent return. Our service also includes advice on habitat modification, hygiene, and long-term prevention to keep your property protected year-round.
Suburbs we service for possum removal
Brushtail possums move into roof cavities off the Middle Harbour, Lane Cove and Warringah bush corridors. We carry out licensed, humane possum removal across these Sydney suburbs:
How Do We Remove Possums from Your Property
Possum Trapping
We set approved humane cage traps at confirmed entry points, baited with fresh fruit and checked regularly to minimise stress on the animal throughout the process.
One-Way Door Exclusion
Where appropriate, we install one-way door devices that allow possums to exit your roof naturally at night without being able to re-enter, avoiding the need for trapping entirely.
Entry Point Sealing
Using metal flashing, heavy gauge wire mesh, and weatherproof sealant, we permanently seal all access points on your roof, fascia boards, soffits, and wall cavities.
Possum Box Installation
We recommend installing a possum box on a nearby tree to give the displaced possum an alternative home, significantly reducing the chance of it attempting to re-enter your roof.
Our Possum Treatment Process in Sydney
Possum Inspection
We begin with a thorough possum inspection of your property to locate entry points, nesting areas, and signs of activity. This helps us assess the level of infestation and choose the safest removal method.
Property Assessment
We inspect your roof space, roof cavity, subfloor, and exterior roofline to identify all entry points, assess damage, and confirm the species and scale of the possum infestation.
Possum Removal Plan
We provide a clear, upfront quote covering trapping, sealing, and any possum box installation required. No hidden fees, no vague estimates, you know exactly what the job involves before we start.
Possum Removal and Exclusion
We carry out the removal using licensed, humane methods compliant with New South Wales wildlife law. Possums are released unharmed in accordance with National Parks and Wildlife Service requirements, which means release on the property of capture after sunset rather than relocation elsewhere.
Seal, Check, and Sign Off
We seal every confirmed and potential access point, conduct a final roof inspection to confirm no animal is sealed inside, and walk you through the prevention advice specific to your property.
Possum Removal Law in NSW: What Is and Is Not Allowed
Brushtail and ringtail possums are protected native animals under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. That single fact decides how every legitimate possum job in Sydney is run, and it is the reason a licensed operator will tell you things a general handyman will not.
Only a licensed operator may trap a possum. Catching and handling a possum to protect a building requires a biodiversity conservation licence issued by the NSW environment regulator. Pest Power Sydney holds the licence required for this work, and our technicians are trained wildlife handlers.
A trapped possum must be released on your property. Under the licence conditions the animal has to be released unharmed on the property where it was caught, within 150 metres of the point of capture, after sunset. It cannot be taken to bushland, a park, a reserve or another suburb. Possums are territorial, and one put down in unfamiliar territory usually does not survive, which is why the rule exists.
That is why proofing is the job. If the possum goes straight back onto the same property, the only thing keeping it out of your roof is sealing the way in and giving it somewhere else to sleep. Anyone who offers to take the possum away is describing something they are not permitted to do.
Ringtail possums are not trapped at all. Ringtails build their own nest rather than denning in a cavity, so the lawful and effective approach is exclusion: let them leave, close the entry point behind them, and site a nest box nearby.
Sealing a roof blind is an offence. Closing entry points without a final in-roof check can shut an animal inside, which breaches the protections that apply to native wildlife and leaves you with a far worse problem. Every job we finish includes that check.
The NSW Government publishes its own guidance on how to remove a possum from your roof and on possum catch and release licences. We have also written a plain-English explainer on whether possum removal is legal in Sydney.
Roof Proofing: How We Stop Possums Getting Back In
Because the possum is released back onto your property, proofing is where the result comes from. A cheap job seals the obvious hole. A durable one closes every way in and gives the animal somewhere better to be.
Entry-point survey. We work the whole roofline rather than the one spot you have heard noise near: lifted or broken tiles, gaps under ridge capping, open valleys, fascia and soffit junctions, unscreened eave vents, the join where a roof meets a parapet or a neighbouring wall, and wall cavities reached from a low garage roof or pergola.
Materials that last. Heavy-gauge galvanised mesh, metal flashing and weatherproof sealant, fixed rather than wedged. Expanding foam is not possum-proof, and a possum that has been living in your roof will keep testing the repair for weeks.
Branch clearance. Most possums do not climb the wall, they step off a branch. Cutting back limbs that bridge onto the roofline removes the access route rather than just the doorway.
A one-way door where it suits the job. Fitted to the main entry point, it lets the possum leave at dusk and not return, which avoids trapping altogether. It stays on until we are satisfied the roof is empty.
A nest box as the alternative den. Sited on a nearby tree and away from the roof, so the possum has somewhere to go on the property it is entitled to stay on.
A final in-roof check before we close up. No exceptions. If your roof void also has rats or mice, that is a separate treatment and we will say so at the inspection rather than after it. See our rodent control service.
Possum Removal for Strata, Rentals and Property Managers
Roof possums are rarely a single-owner problem. In a strata block the entry point is almost always on common property, and in a rental the person hearing the noise is not the person who can authorise the work. We are set up for both.
Strata and owners corporations. We inspect the whole roofline rather than the one lot that complained, identify which entry points sit on common property, and provide a written scope and quote that a committee or strata manager can take to a meeting. Where access to individual lots is needed we schedule it into one visit.
Real estate and property managers. A dated inspection report, photographs of the entry points and a record of the licensed work carried out give you something to put on file and to send to both the owner and the tenant. We can deal directly with the tenant for access.
Tenants. Scratching and heavy thumping overhead at night is a maintenance issue, not something you are expected to solve yourself, and no possum may lawfully be trapped or handled by an unlicensed person. Report it to your agent and point them here.
Commercial and community buildings. Schools, clubs, childcare and aged-care sites need the work done outside operating hours with documentation to match, and we quote it that way.
For an idea of what the work involves and what shapes the number, see our guide to possum removal cost in Sydney.
Why Choose Pest Power Sydney?
We understand how frustrating and disruptive pests can be, which is why we’re committed to providing fast, reliable, and effective solutions.
15+ years of Experience
Over a decade of trusted experience delivering effective, long-lasting pest control solutions.
Same-Day Inspections
We offer same-day inspections to assess your pest problems and quickly implement a solution.
Certified Professionals
Our team is fully trained, certified, and experienced to handle all types of pest control with the highest level of professionalism.
Let’s create a pest-free environment – Contact us today!
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to remove possums from my property in Sydney?
Brushtail and ringtail possums are protected native animals in New South Wales, so they cannot be harmed, relocated to a new area or kept. A possum may only be trapped and handled by a licensed operator, and it must be released unharmed on the property where it was caught, within 150 metres of the point of capture and after sunset. That is why the work is really about proofing the roof and giving the possum somewhere else to live, not removal. Pest Power Sydney holds the licences required for this work.
How is possum trapping conducted, and is it safe for my property?
Do you prevent possums from coming back after removal?
How soon can you come to remove a possum if I notice an infestation?
How do possums cause damage to buildings, and what are the signs?
Do possums carry fleas or other pests?
Do you service commercial properties as well as residential homes?
How much does possum removal cost in Sydney?
What chemicals do pest control companies use?
How often should pest control be done?
Which possum is in my roof, a brushtail or a ringtail?
Can I trap and remove a possum myself?
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