Overall good experience and would rent from Ricardo again.
Good:
Communication—Ricardo responds quickly to messages and answers phone calls.
The apartment has everything you might want and is in a good location, especially if you want to ride the metro.
The less-than-perfect:
When I arrived, there was no soap, and also outlets that don't accommodate plugs from North America, so no way to charge my phone. I called Ricardo regarding the latter, and he said "there's probably some store to buy an adapter in the tourist shops on Copacabana Avenue… good luck!" Not very helpful, and not the way I want to spend my first hour after 18 hours of travel. So if you rent his room, bring both.
The shower has mold that needs scrubbing. Otherwise, the apartment is clean.
The entrance to the shower is mid-forehead level, and sharp, so I bumped (and cut) my head a few times before conditioning myself to duck.
The mattress is hard, common in Brazil. I bought an air mattress to sleep comfortably.