The newspaper said the skeletal remains may have been in the 98,000 pounds ($180,300) derelict house in Birmingham, central England, for at least two years and had escaped detection despite complaints from neighbors about a bad smell.

The odor was blamed on rubbish, including dead pigeons, that had accumulated while the property was empty.

The dead man, who has not been identified, is thought to have been a vagrant. His death is not thought to be suspicious.