Pros:
- Apartment is managed by an agency and communication was easy and response times were fast
- Apartment is in a nice street.
- It is actually a shop (Schneiderei) that has been converted into an apartment. Which means you can step directly onto the street from the front door (which can be nice).
Cons:
- The apartment was not properly cleaned when I arrived. It had been cleaned but very superficially. There were tomato seeds on the wall, a dirty dishcloth, the stove had dirt marks (from just being wiped with a damp cloth), bubble gum stuck to the floor and the floor was filthy. I mopped it again and the mop was dark brown!
- The apartment did not look like it did in the pictures online. All the ornaments that were shown in the picture were removed, there were no vase, no pillows and no carpet. It was really stripped bare.
- The apartment had a funny smell as well, it reminded me of a hostel both from the look and feel.
- Apartment is in need of refurbishment. Most significantly tiles in the shower are falling out, mildew along joints and water damage on walls.
- The apartment is extremely small.
All of the above made for a very disappointed arrival, especially when paying such a high price. Also, the downside of the apartment being directly on the street is that the door needs to be properly insulated. Cold air and dirt blew into the apartment constantly (Berlin was very windy during the month that we stayed there).