Though the apartment was a bit of a let-down, let me start off by saying Sal was a tremendous host. He was extremely available and communicative, and proved very arranging with our checkin/checkout.
The apartment itself is in a prime location in Shoreditch - but the downside of it is that it is noisy. The apartment overlooks on the busiest streets in the area, and with the multiple bars around it gets animated at night. That didn't prevent us from sleeping well (the bed is super comfortable), but if noise is an issue for you, then be aware of it. Prime location means that it's only a 10-min walk to the Old Street Station, or 15-min walk to the Liverpool Station. Very close to all the venues in Shoreditch - many great coffeeshops around!
There is no elevator, only a narrow stairway, so try and avoid carrying a large suitcase.
We felt the apartment was not exactly on par with other places we stayed in Shoreditch. It looks exactly like the photos show and has tremendous potential, but what the apartment had in terms of location, it lacked in cleanliness.
The carpet floor in the bedroom could really need some shampooing. The overall apartment is nice but needs some thorough cleaning as dust was accumulating everywhere. Either that or a fresh coat of paint; also the holes in the walls could be covered up to give it a more finished look. There is no need for decoration, especially if you're going to rent it to travelers, but at least cover up the holes.
Dirt was most noticeable in the bathroom: dust/dirt on the toilet cover, in the corners, on the window frame. The bottle holder in the shower was covered in rust. The shower itself could use a good scrub too, there were stains on the shower doors. The shower head was not attached to the wall properly and looked like it's going to give up any minute. The kitchen has been remodeled and looks fantastic in contrast, except for the fridge which looks a bit dirty and needs a good defrosting (so much ice inside) - we didn't want to leave anything inside.
All in all, the apartment looked like it had been left unfinished halfway through a remodeling job. It really feels like a bachelor's crashing pad, functional but lacking in personality and not well taken care of. Though the location is fantastic, we were able to secure places that were much better taken care of in our previous airbnb experiences in Shoreditch - at the same price.
All this apartment needs is some serious TLC in order to become a fantastic airbnb destination though!