Overall the stay was fine but the host sent a bill for putting items of recyclable nature in the mixed reclycing bin, which created a negative experience afterwards (more details at the end).
Good value for money. It was quite practical - the place had everything you need and the transport connections are good.
However, it’s not a cosy place, it’s a bit sterile and in need for renovation. The pipes in the washroom are rusty, some tiles are a bit loose, and the ventilation in the washroom is extremely loud. There were a few bugs and a spider in the apartment. The balcony door was a bit wonky. It was adequately clean, but not pristine.
There were pros and cons with the communication. The host provided very detailed information regarding the check-in, which was good. They would also respond within a few hours. However, they are unavailable late in the evening. Some of the communication was also quite strange. Two examples:
(1) I told the host I would land at the airport at 23.00 and they were texting me on the same day in the late afternoon saying i haven’t informed then yet whether I have checked-in (obviously hadn’t even landed in london then).
(2) There was only one bin for recycling labelled ‘mixed recycling’. During the stay, I had put items of recyclable nature in the mixed recycling bin. After my check-out, the host had taken the items out of the bin, took a photo of it and asked me if the items belonged to me, without offering any context at all as to why they were asking that. I thought it was an extremely strange question - imagine if your landlord starts digging in the trash and asks you, for e.g. is the newspaper in the recycling yours? I had not checked my airbnb app for some time, but I saw that the host had messaged me about that every single day since my check-out and they later requested £50 via airbnb to dispose of the waste. I declined their request, because it is a reasonable assumption that you can put items of recyclable nature in the mixed recycling bin, and if that is not the case, it is the responsibility of the host to communicate that beforehand. They had never told me that I could not use the recycling bins and they had no recycling guidelines available. Moreover, the bill was excessive, since i checked the UK Government’s website, and to remove 4 items of bulky nature (e.g. beds, wardrobe) it only cost £20, and none of my items were bulky so any additional cost they would have faced should be less than £20.