Attempting to check in, the door man of this apartment building denied knowing the Host, or that there was an Air BnB apartment that existed. I left looking for another building, but wound up returning. My English/Portuguese speaking driver helpe me ask the doorman again about the existence of this apartment, and it was only due to another person in the lobby overhearing this conversation that it was discovered that my Host actually did have the listed apartment in this building. I went to the second floor searching for the apartment. There was NO NUMBER on or near the door of my Host's apartment. It was only by deduction that I could find it. It should be noted that my Host did note self check in on her listing, and by use of a coded lock. However, when the doorman denied the existence of this apartment and who later provided no assistance, and when there is no number on the door of the apartment, coupled with an absent Host, this would be a difficult situation for any traveler, let alone an American who may not be fluent in Portuguese.
Once inside, the first thing I noticed is that there were many, many floor tile that are missing. This includes at the threshold of the entry, next to the bed, in the bathroom and in the shower. The edges of the tile where the one next to it is missing are sharp. While walking in bare feet, one of the floor tiles actually came off of the floor and stuck to the bottom of my sweaty foot. Overall, this apartment is not in good shape. Some electrical outlets are missing, exposing bare wires near the bed. White painted walls are scuffed and dirty. Stains on the upholstered furniture.
The major issue that caused me to move out the next day was NO HOT/WARM WATER IN THE SHOWER. I contacted my Host by message repeatedly advising of no hot/warm water for the shower, asking for her to fix it or at least come have a look. Her standard reply was to the affect "it was functioning the last time she checked the apartment", and that if the problem persisted, she would check it the next day. I contacted AirBNB about all this, and fortunately, they were able in intercede and get me out of this place the next day. I was able to move to a different apartment by a different Host only a couple blocks away that was absolutely wonderful in every way.