Firstly, Salwa is a fantastic lady and the most welcoming host you are ever likely to meet, the flat is in a great area which is safe with plenty of good local pubs/restaurants in the area. Tube/Train/Bus all very close by.

The room I stayed in had a comfortable bed and pillows and its quiet compared with the 6 other places I have stayed in the same 15 minute radius which were very noisy for light sleepers ! But it is without doubt in need of some redecoration and general uplift, for example a bare non painted patch of wall and holes in the wall where something was once mounted, main light for the room has no lampshade so is blinding. My 22 year old son would not have been bothered so it is just an expectation thing you may not notice either and if you spend a lot of time out of the flat it will not bother you.

The bathroom is small but the toilet, sink and shower are kept very clean the shower has plenty of power and was nicely hot. There are some issues a potential traveller needs to know though. If you are overweight or not very agile then getting in and out of the shower could be a problem. There are instructions not to put the toilet tissue down the toilet but in a bin, I have never seen this before in the UK so you just need to be aware if you aren't comfortable with that. Lastly is a re-decoration thing again, the ceiling is covered heavily in mould and flaking in quite a few places which creates a slight musty smell. Again on all of the above my 22 year old son would likely not even have noticed.

None of this should put you off staying you just need to be aware beforehand so your expectations are managed. As I said at the start, Salwa is a wonderful host and could not be more friendly which can make a difference for anyone travelling to the UK/London for the first time.