A man whose body was discovered at a flat in Amsterdam Zuidoost is thought to have died some years ago, despite neighbours’ reporting him missing to the housing corporation.

Neighbours sounded the alert in January 2023 because they had not seen the elderly Surinamese man, who lived on his own.

“I used to see him around but it must have been over a year since I saw him last,” neighbour Elvis told the Telegraaf.

The Eigen Haard housing corporation said the report had not been over concerns for the man’s wellbeing. “It was thought he had gone away on holiday or was abroad. And that is of course completely okay. The rent was always paid so we didn’t feel there was any cause for alarm,” spokesman Wim de Waard told the paper.

However, another report last month prompted Eigen Haard to involve the police who found the man’s body. Police said he had died of natural causes and that an investigation was underway.

De Waard said the fact the man was not missed is a “mystery” but showed that loneliness is a big problem and more should be done to help people who isolate themselves.

Last month the bodies of a mother and son were found in Amsterdam West, both of whom had died weeks earlier. Like the man in Zuidoost they had few contacts with others, neighbours said.