For the price, this is a great deal. But there are a few things to know before renting a room here.
The house is at the top of a hill surrounded by overgrown plants. This means that there are hundreds of stairs to climb from the closest metro station to the home. This can be a hurdle for people with low mobility or with lots of luggage. It wasn't a problem for me because I only had a backpack and I'm young. But the stairs definitely made it complicated for groceries. I would always be drenched in sweat after the 120th stair. Tip: there are motorbike-taxis waiting at Gloria station. You can ask them for a ride for 5 reais (1.5$), which cuts the amount of staircase in half... If you are elderly, don't come here.
Because of the lush greenery, the humidity around the house is unusually high. Some rooms smell humid, clothes hung inside don't dry, even with windows being open and the fan being turned on.
The surrounding plants are home to many animals such as skunks, bats, little monkeys (macaco), spiders, termites, mosquitoes, geckos. During my one-month stay, I walked daily into cob webs, got nocturnal visits from skunks in the kitchen, I regularly got bitten by mosquitoes whilst in the shower and in bed, I came back home to termite slime on the bed, etc. It's not all negative though. I enjoyed the nature, the view and the wilderness. It was absolutely charming.
Also because it's located in Santa Teresa, only 10% of Ubers will want to bring you home. Many taxi drivers consider Santa Teresa to be dangerous (I really don't think it is)... So, when calling a cab, it can take up to 30 minutes to get a willing Uber driver to bring you to your home.
The house is not too far from a favela. This means that every Saturday night from 10pm to 7am, you will hear a very very loud party from your window. The only way to sleep through it is with earplugs. The funk music is very loud and penetrates through the walls.
Also, the house is tidy and it's charming but it's also old and slowly showing signs of long-term neglect. Plants are overgrown, windows and doors are rusted and don't slide shut easily anymore. The walls and ceiling haven't been wiped for a while and animals are living in the ceiling.
Some decorative objects as seen in the pictures are missing, so have a little lower expectations... The photos are slightly misleading. (The bathrooms are in the main building)
All in all, I enjoyed my experience at the house and with Maria as a property manager. The house seems to attract interesting people in their 30s. I hope this can help you make a well-informed choice before booking.