Nikola Golem allegedly murdered his stepfather, with police saying the 48-year-old shared a house for a year with the decomposing remains.
The Gold Coast man and his mother lived at a waterfront Benowa home with the body of Tomislav Nemes stashed in a bedroom, police allege.
Golem's case was mentioned at Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday and adjourned to September 22.
The wife of Mr Nemes is not expected to be charged over her husband's death.
The mummified remains of the 69-year-old were found at the Edinburgh Street address during a welfare check after interstate relatives raised concerns on April 17.
"The body was in an advanced state of decomposition," Detective Acting Inspector Mark Proctor told reporters last week.
"It did have a mummified look ... but there was absolutely no attempt to preserve the body in any way. It wasn't wrapped or anything like that."
The arrest follows a renewed police appeal as detectives revealed Mr Nemes' wife and son lived alongside his remains for more than a year.
Friends and relatives have told police they lost touch before Mr Nemes disappeared.
Relatives told detectives they tried unsuccessfully to make contact, with reports his wife and stepson claimed Mr Nemes was ill or unavailable.
Mr Nemes and his family moved to the tourist strip from the ACT in 2018.
