Tipped off: Newtown death house neighbours reported concerns year before corpse was found

Damning emails between fed-up neighbours living near a Newtown unit found to have a dead body inside, the housing department and a Geelong MP have emerged.

Damning emails between fed up-neighbours living near a Geelong “death house”, the housing department and a Geelong MP have emerged, as one homeowner accused the state government of having “blood on their hands”.

A Newtown couple has shared their painstaking attempts to get an urgent welfare check at the public housing unit on Russell St in the months prior to Robert Natoli’s body being removed in late 2022.

It has been revealed Mr Natoli’s sister may have been living with his corpse at the property for several years, with a Victorian coroner still investigating the circumstances.

The neighbouring resident, who did not want to be named, said his wife contacted the City of Greater Geelong in August about “black mould” and piles of trash blocking the entrance to the unit.

A picture of black mould on the windows of the Newtown unit sent to DFFH in 2022.

In an email seen by this masthead, the concerned resident then wrote to the Geelong housing office detailing “rats crawling over the rubbish at the front door and over her front fence”.

“I am concerned on the living conditions inside the property given what appears to be a large amount of black mould on the front windows,” the email stated.

The neighbour said “poor air quality, pest infestation and poor sanitary conditions” were all raised with the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH), who own the property.

He recalled his “shock and anger” when the body was removed on December 29, more than a year after initial concerns were raised.

The pair, who bought their home almost two years before the shock find, said “we never laid eyes on that man, not once”.

In another email, the man reached out to Geelong MP Christine Couzens on December 30, 2022 to “seek answers and an explanation” on a “clear system failure” not only of the tenants, but the DFFH complaint process.

“It is clear that the system has failed the deceased … and the occupant of the property,” the email to Ms Couzens read.

“No one should be subjected to these conditions, especially our most vulnerable members of the community.

“It is evident that the unit hasn’t been inspected for several years.”

He said the Geelong housing office was aware the tenants were hoarders “several years ago”.

Ms Couzens did not respond to his concerns.

Member for Geelong, Christine Couzens alongside Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. Picture: Brad Fleet

“We asked her to advocate on our behalf, we wanted answers on how moving forward this can be improved,” he said.

“She gave us nothing.”

Ms Couzens was contacted for comment by the Geelong Advertiser but did not respond.

DFFH claims staff members made numerous attempts to contact Mr Natoli in 2022.

It’s believed they reported concerns about a lack of contact or access to police and the State Trustees, who were appointed to pay his rent, look after welfare concerns and property conditions.

The agency manages the finances of thousands of Victorians who are unable to look after their own affairs due to disability, illness or injury.

It’s alleged Mr Natoli’s rent was still being paid by the state government even while he lay dead inside its own asset.

Fencing still blocks the Russell Street unit more than a year after the discovery. Picture: Alan Barber

It’s also understood DFFH left calling cards on Mr Natoli’s front door when no one answered in 2021 and the following year.

“All complaints received were taken seriously and staff attempted to have them addressed while complying with renters’ rights under the Residential Tenancies Act,” a DFFH spokesman said.

“The department had made numerous attempts to inspect the property and get in touch with the tenant and had an application at VCAT to secure access to the home.”

Police officers used a crow bar to force entry to the home on December 28, 2022, finding Mr Natoli’s skeletal remains inside.

The Russell St ‘house of horror’ was short walk from the high-end boutiques and eateries of Pakington St. Picture: Alan Barber

It comes as Housing Minister Harriet Shing was questioned in parliament about the “appalling failure”. She said department staff offered support at the time to neighbouring residents and families.

The Russell St resident rubbished that claim, saying the whole situation “was nasty” and he accused the housing body of having “blood on their hands”.

“The department can say what they like but we were completely ignored,” he said.

“I have read their statements saying they offered us assistance at the time but that is crap, they didn’t offer us any.

“We all move on with life but there is really no excuse or words for it.”

Liberal MP Bev McArthur accused DFFH of failing to properly act on concerns over the behaviour of Mr Natoli’s sister, and the property in general.

Minister for Housing Harriet Shing was questioned in parliament last week. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

“That multiple inspections apparently occurred, but failed to uncover the tragedy, is a total condemnation of the systems in place,” she said.

Several visits from police – who are investigating the death on behalf of the coroner – also failed to uncover the body.

The Member for Western Victoria said the “appalling failure” also severely impacted neighbours, including those in the commission units nearby, who “have had to live with the stench and squalor for years”.

“(They) may now be socially and psychologically stigmatised by living in close proximity to this horror,” she said.

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Originally published as Tipped off: Newtown death house neighbours reported concerns year before corpse was found