They can be seen climbing walls of houses and other buildings in search of insects attracted to porch lights, and are immediately recognisable by their characteristic chirping.

The animal is very adaptable and may prey on insects and spiders, displacing other gecko species which are less robust or behaviourally aggressive.

In Asia, notably Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia in the south east, geckos have local names onomatopoetically derived from the sounds they make: Hemidactylus frenatus is called "chee chak"[4] or "chi chak" (pr- chee chuck), said quickly, also commonly spelled as "cicak" in Malay dictionaries.

In the Philippines, they are called "butiki" in Tagalog, "tiki" in Visayan, "alutiit" in Ilocano, and in Thailand, "jing-jok" (Thai: จิ้งจก[5]).

The common house gecko is by no means a misnomer, displaying a clear preference for urban environments.

[6] They have been found in bushland, but the current evidence seems to suggest they have a preference for urban environments, with their distribution being mostly defined by areas within or in close proximity to city bounds.

[7][failed verification] The common house gecko appears to prefer areas in the light which are proximal to cracks, or places to escape.

Geckos without an immediate opportunity to escape potential danger display behavioural modifications to compensate for this fact, emerging later in the night and retreating earlier in the morning.

[6] Primary invertebrate food sources include cockroaches, termites, some bees and wasps, butterflies, moths, flies, spiders, and several beetle groupings.

In Mexico, H. frenatus was first collected in Acapulco, Guerrero, in March 1895 and found to be well established there and in the surrounding regions by the early 1940s.

H. frenatus now occurs throughout the lowlands of Mexico on both the Atlantic and Pacific versants including the Yucatan Peninsula, and Baja California, with records from 21 of the 32 Mexican states.

Most records of H. frenatus in Mexico are from buildings such as homes, hotels, and other structure in cities and towns, with only a few reports of the species in natural habitat, and its impact, if any, on native fauna there is unknown.

[16] There is evidence to suggest that the presence of Hemidactylus frenatus has negatively impacted native gecko populations throughout tropical Asia, Central America and the Pacific.

[17] The common house gecko also displays a higher tolerance to high light levels, which may allow for an increased risk-reward pay off in hunting endeavours.

Though both sexes use escape sprinting as a survival strategy, males are more likely to need to stop and fight using biting, due to the reduced mobility caused by disproportionate head to hind leg size, which in turn is correlated with localised territorial behaviours.

[25] The success of the common house gecko can also be explained through other elements of competition, such as postural displays and movement patterns.

[28] An active form of this thermoregulation includes the presence of the gecko in lighter environments, proximal to cracks in the substrate.

[8] A peak in hunting activity after dark places them in an ideal spot to take advantage of invertebrate congregation around artificial lighting in the urban environment.

Due to this level of dependence on the environment, drops in temperature may act as a leading indicator for reduced gecko sightings in the medium term.

There is some weak evidence, without statistically significant data, to suggest a trend toward higher temperature for females, which has an evolutionary advantage of increasing the speed of egg development.

This eliminates the need for parthenogenesis and allows the young to include both male and female offspring, with one mating event leading to multiple clutches of eggs being laid.

House geckos can be kept as pets in a vivarium with a clean substrate, and typically require a heat source and a place to hide in order to regulate their body temperature, and a system of humidifiers and plants to provide them with moisture.

In the Philippines, geckos making a ticking sound are believed to indicate an imminent arrival of a visitor or a letter.

[39][40] In some parts of India, the sound made by geckos is considered a bad omen; while in parts of India, Assam, Odisha, West Bengal, Bangladesh and Nepal, it is considered to be an endorsement of the truthfulness of a statement made just before, because the sound "tik tik tik" resembles the expression "thik thik thik" (Assamese: ঠিক ঠিক ঠিক), which in many Indian languages (e.g. Bengali and Assamese) means "correct correct correct", i.e., a three-fold confirmation.

[41] In some places in India, it is believed that watching a lizard on the eve of Dhanteras is a good omen or a sign of prosperity.