Is It Possible That It Was a Roach?
It’s not uncommon for rodents like mice and rats to get trapped inside walls. The homeowners report hearing a distinct clicking sound due to this phenomenon. The sounds that these residents heard did not originate from a rodent in any way.
In addition, if this was the case, there must have been many rodents sheltering inside the walls. It’s possible that there was an entire family of rodents in there. Rather than taking a chance, they decided that the best course of action would be to permanently evict the renters as soon as they were aware of their presence.