Monkeys Getting Into the House
Grilles, Mesh & Roof Proofing (2026)

Why monkeys come into houses

Monkeys, mostly long-tailed macaques (kera), live on the edges of forest reserves, parks and hillside estates across the Klang Valley. They are clever, strong and quick to learn where food is easy to get. A house that once gave them bananas on the kitchen counter, open rubbish or pet food on the porch is a house they come back to, often as a group.

• Food in sight: fruit on the table, bread by the window, pet food, offerings and open rubbish bins.
• Easy openings: open kitchen and bathroom windows, sliding doors to a balcony or yard, a back door left ajar.
• Ways up: trees beside the house, fences and walls, awnings, car porch roofs and drainpipes.
• Roof damage: monkeys moving across a roof can lift and crack tiles, which then leak.

What monkeys can do once inside

A monkey in the kitchen opens cupboards, tears open packaging, knocks things over and leaves droppings and urine. It may also be aggressive when cornered or when people try to take food back. Outside, monkeys pull at mosquito screens, play on awnings, lift roof tiles and lids, and break plants and fittings.

Do not try to chase a monkey out by hand, corner it or feed it. Leave it a clear way out, keep children and pets away, and wait for it to leave.

Habits that make the house less attractive

1. Keep fruit and food out of sight from windows, and do not leave food on a porch or balcony.
2. Use rubbish bins with tight lids, and put rubbish out close to collection time.
3. Feed pets indoors, or remove the bowl after feeding.
4. Close windows and sliding doors when the kitchen is empty or you go out.
5. Never feed monkeys, and ask the neighbours not to; a group that is fed keeps coming back.

Habits help, but they are hard to keep up every day. That is why most homes near a forest edge end up adding physical barriers to the openings monkeys use.

Where monkeys get in: the openings to protect

A good first step is to watch for a week where the monkeys arrive, which openings they try, and what they climb to get there. One or two openings are often responsible for most of the visits.

Window grilles: the main barrier

A window grille lets you keep the window open for air while stopping a monkey getting through. For monkeys, the gaps between bars matter more than the design, because a young monkey can squeeze through a surprisingly small opening. Ask for a close bar pattern, or a grille with a mesh infill, on the windows they use.

Plan for escape as well as security. ClickBina's doors and windows guide notes that at least one quick-release emergency grille per floor is needed for fire escape under UBBL and local authority rules. Choose which window that will be before the grilles are made.

Invisible grilles, made of tensioned cables, keep the view open on balconies and large windows, but they are designed mainly to stop falls; ask before you rely on one to keep monkeys out. The invisible grille guide compares the two types.

Steel-mesh screens and screen doors

Ordinary fibreglass or polyester mosquito mesh keeps insects out but is easy for a monkey to tear. Where you want a screen without bars, ask for a stronger mesh, such as a stainless or galvanised steel mesh, in a sturdy frame that locks. Sliding and fixed screens are stronger than magnetic or roll-up ones for this use.

On doors to a yard or balcony, a grille door with a welded mesh infill does both jobs: air and light come through, monkeys and hands do not. The mosquito screen guide explains the screen types and what wears out first.

Roof, awnings and the climbing routes

Monkeys walking and jumping on a roof crack and lift tiles, and the leak often shows up weeks later. After a visit, look along the roof from the road for slipped or broken tiles. Trim branches that hang over the roof or a car porch, because they are the usual way up. A metal awning or porch roof is noisy but rarely damaged; a polycarbonate one can crack under repeated jumping.

Open air wells and roof terraces give a direct way into the house. If monkeys come in that way, a grille or mesh cover over the air well is usually simpler than closing it completely.

Water tanks and outdoor fittings

Rooftop and outdoor water tanks need a lid that is fixed down, because monkeys can lift a loose lid, and anything that falls into the tank contaminates the water. Outdoor taps, hoses and garden lights are also played with; keep them tidy and secure. If a tank lid is cracked or missing, replace it rather than weighting it down with a brick.

What the barriers cost

These ranges are already published on ClickBina's grille, screen, security and roof guides (indicative 2026, Klang Valley). They depend on the size and number of openings and on the material.

A steel mesh screen is usually quoted on its own after the opening is measured, because the mesh and the frame differ from a standard insect screen. The burglar-proofing checklist covers grilles and doors from the security side, which often happens in the same job.

Who to call about the monkeys themselves

Monkeys are wild animals. In Peninsular Malaysia, wildlife disturbance is handled by PERHILITAN, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks; ClickBina's snake and monitor lizard guide notes that PERHILITAN says it acts on complaints within three working days and charges nothing for its help. In a housing estate with a regular monkey problem, a complaint from the residents' association carries more weight than one from a single house.

A contractor's part is the building: grilles, screens, roof and openings, so that the house stays closed to them after any action on the animals.

How ClickBina can help

We supply and install window grilles, grille doors with mesh infill and invisible grilles, fit sturdier screens, repair roof tiles and cover air wells. WhatsApp us your job details for a quote: your area, the property type, which openings the monkeys use and how many windows or doors you want protected.

ClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor for whole-house refurbishment and trade coordination. We reply within the hour, and the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges.

Sources & methodology

• ClickBina doors and windows guide — the emergency-release grille rule under UBBL.
• ClickBina snake and monitor lizard guide — PERHILITAN's role for wildlife disturbance in Peninsular Malaysia.
• ClickBina invisible grille guide and burglar-proofing checklist — grille and grille door rates.
• ClickBina mosquito screen guide and roof repair cost guide — screen and roof tile prices.

How we estimated prices: every RM figure on this page is quoted unchanged from the ClickBina guides named above; they are indicative Klang Valley ranges for 2026, not fixed rates.