Our overall stay was ok but the organisation was not very professional. There were several minor issues during our stay:
1. A number of photos in the listing seem to be old ones. For example the living room and the child's room have old and newer photos making it look like they are different rooms. Also currently the apartment feels a bit cluttered with much more stuff everywhere compared to the photos.
2. There was almost no space to store personal belongings. All of the wardrobes and storage space was full with the owners stuff. The only thing provided was a single rail for hanging clothes which for a family of 3 felt inadequate. We had to put our stuff on the sofas, table spaces and so on. The fridge also had leftover food and the freezer was full so we could only use some of it.
3. Several days into the rental Marcus tried to come into the flat unannounced using his own key while my wife was putting our daughter to sleep. This felt like a big invasion of privacy and made us feel insecure worrying about further visits when we are not in the flat. Our dog also started barking a the stranger trying to come in waking up our daughter.
4. There was some strange haggling involved during the booking - my initial request has expired and then Marcus asked me to (quote) "I would rather you pay fo the same price you were quoted but for some lesser nights if you can" and saying the usual rate is actually £135 compared to £113 I got when I made the booking. After going back and forth he did send an updated offer with the right rate.
5. 8 days after confirming the rental and a couple of weeks before we were due to arrive Marcus sent a message asking to cancel the reservation and make a new one because apparently he got the dates wrong. This was strange because monthly reservations don't refund the first month if they are cancelled. I didn't accept that and in the end we did alter the dates a bit through airbnb.
Otherwise the place is quite good. The garden is nice to have. The area is so so but it's close to Westfield and the tube. There are several parks nearby. Marcus was helpful when we checked in, showed us around the place and organised a quick repair of the door lock that was not working very well when we arrived. It's good for a family with a child as it has a bunch of toys and a toy house in the garden.