This was a very nice apartment at a good price for London. Although not in the central tourist area, was a nice neighborhood and easy to reach anyplace in London from either the Oval or Vauxhall tube stations which are both close enough to walk to in less than 10 minutes. The host helped us with local services, such as finding nearby Waitrose for groceries and supplies and suggesting restaurants. The apartment is very nice, the kitchen is very cute and well-equipped. The living room (lounge) was very comfortable. We particularly appreciate the hosts' thoughtfulness in leaving fans in both bedrooms, especially given a couple of days of unusually high temperatures. The apartment has a lot of light, but was in the basement, which had the advantage of staying cool even in the high temperatures. It was very clean, and appeared to have been recently remodeled.
There are a few things that could be improved. Most importantly to me, there should be more attention to safety. The back door is locked, which I believe is a fire safety issue, although the host does not seem to agree. They do not want visitors to use the garden which belongs to their neighbor, but I am uncomfortable not being able to exit the building that way, even in an emergency. There are two front doors, with a small, dark entryway. The front can't be exited without a key when the bolt lock is used, and would be difficult to open quickly in an emergency. A more modern lock would help. There was no fire extinguisher or first aid kit as claimed in the listing. I only saw one smoke detector in the entire two bedroom apartment. Luckily, I brought my own first aid kit because we had to deal with a minor injury. Secondly, there is a street light outside the front bedroom that shines into the room at night. A light blocking curtain would make the room a lot more comfortable for sleeping. There is a slight musty smell in the entry and one of the bathrooms, with probably some mold. The washer/dryer was very slow and took most of a day to do a load of laundry. I think that is just the standard in the area, but very different from what we are used to in the U.S. But visitors should be aware. There is some street noise effecting the front bedroom, but nothing unusual for a large city. But between the light and the noise, was at times a little difficult to sleep in that room at times.
Overall it was a nice apartment, with good nearby stores and restaurants, and easy access to all areas of London.