We had an adequate stay at this apartment for two full months (June and July 2021), but there were numerous issues that affected our comfort. What follows is a rundown of the handful of positives and the most significant negatives.
POSITIVE
• Price – We paid about $1000 per month for the unit, which was less than the monthly rent for all short-term rentals and sublets we had found in the city.
• Communication – Samuel was rather fast to respond, replying in less than five minutes almost every time.
• Size – The apartment is surprisingly spacious—almost 50% larger than the average one-bedroom, at least in our experience.
• Check-in/out – Samuel was accommodating with our check-out, which ended up being two hours later than expected because of a last-minute issue on our end.
• Transit – Several bus lines stop right outside the building, and the Guy–Concordia subway station is a short walk away.
MIXED
• Staff – The building's staff were rather friendly, and it was clear that they had thoroughly swept and mopped the apartment prior to our arrival, but not all of them were capable of communicating in English, and they did not make enough of an effort to wear masks correctly (e.g., they would tend to wear the masks under the nose or around the chin).
• Location – It was great to be located so close to the downtown area and to the mountain, but grocery stores in the area were few and far between.
• Laundry – The washers and dryers in the basement worked well, but they only accepted $2 coins.
• Parking – While it was easy to get a parking pass from the rental office (when it was open), it was challenging to park on the building's semicircular driveway, and the local towing company doesn't hesitate to tow cars without passes regardless of the hour.
NEGATIVE
• Insects – Despite two chemical treatments, we experienced issues with roaches and similar bugs throughout our stay, though the insects were largely confined to the kitchen area. On our first day there, we found several rodent traps that appeared soiled and that Samuel said were merely preventative; this was not so.
• Plumbing – One week prior to our departure, used shower water started leaking from the ceiling in the bedroom. The janitor on call was able to address the problem the following business day, and there was no further leakage.
• Noise – Samuel had assured us that there was no noise from neighboring units, but this was not the case. The apartment is located right between the stairwell and the elevator, and there was substantial noise whenever the stairs were used—though I should note that there was never any noise from the elevator. The wall in the bathroom that separates this apartment from the next is thin, so much so that we were able to hear full conversations and, at night, even see some light from the next apartment when we opened the medicine cabinet. The upstairs neighbors frequently moved furniture around and jumped up and down, and while they were usually done making noise around 10 PM in early June, they usually started around 10 PM and finished around 11:30 PM by mid-July. The entrance to the parking garage is near the apartment, and stalled cars would sometimes blast music right outside our window—this even happened once at 2:15 AM—while waiting for the garage door to open.
• Amenities – Though air conditioning was mentioned in the listing, there was none when we arrived. Samuel had a window unit installed later that same day, but the unit was too small to be able to cool the entire apartment properly. The apartment's WiFi network suddenly stopped working three weeks into our stay, and while Samuel gave us the passwords for three other available networks, these alternative networks' strength was inconsistent, and the original network was never repaired.
• Overall condition – The apartment was run-down somewhat, with a few floor tiles easily dislodged, and the two couches were not the most comfortable. Even the apartment's front door looked like it was made of plywood, and the building itself was rather run-down as well.