This is a great and affordable place to stay in a safe Oakland neighborhood. Keith is extremely communicative as well, which makes all the difference. Because it is so affordable, do not expect the Taj Mahal. It is a simple room with basic necessities. Personally, since I lived in 40 square feet for over a year, it was the Taj Mahal to me but to most people it would be considered small. The bed is a single and not big enough for two people. I stayed for 3 weeks but started to miss a kitchen after a week and a half, thus I would highly recommend this for shorter stays over longer ones, unless you are used to eating every meal out or wish to order in and not cook.
The bathroom: I personally can't handle the smell of cleaning fluids which were quite strong but also told me the bathroom was clean. I left the window open to solve this issue. The bathroom is old and doesn't "look" great - meaning the tiles are old and worn and there are some stains on the walls but the toilet, sink and shower were clean and it was functional, which is what a bathroom is for!
Parking: I always found free parking around the area and I had a huge truck. At night, across the street, from 6pm to 8am there is also parking but move it in the morning because they do ticket. What's great (other than the no parking from 8am to 6pm side) is there is almost no time limited parking. If you go down the block toward Grand Avenue, there is 2 hour parking but if you go up the block, or on the same side of the street, up and down to the other streets, it's unlimited with no permit required. I always found almost level parking on Boulevard Way (just 2 blocks north of the apartment) on both sides of that street and it's much wider than the other streets in the area.
Location (food and coffee recommendations): You can walk to everything. Safeway, great restaurants (I highly recommend the Greek restaurant Ikaros - they have a great back patio and delicious food with vegan options, Miss Saigon Vietnamese - a little pricey but good and if you're looking for the absolute BEST Ethiopian in town, it's a bit of a walk but it's totally worth it or catch an uber to check out Enssaro (outdoor seating). Cafe Romanat (also Ethiopian) is good and closer but Enssaro is amazing. You can also get delivery with Uber Eats, Door Dash or GrubHub.
For coffee I highly recommend the Coffee Mill (closer) and Red Bay Coffee next door to the Grand Lake theater.
The Rose Garden is about a 15-20 minute walk and when the roses are in bloom, it's a "can't be missed" spot.
The cons: the upstairs neighbors play music at least 5 days a week for 2-3 hours at a time. I don't think they're playing it loudly on purpose, I think there is no noise dampening insulation so it sounded very loud in the apartment. I highly recommend noise cancellation headsets. He did not play the music loudly at night, only during the day or afternoon. At night 2-3 nights a week he had people over and I could hear every word of their conversation as they laughed and talked loudly on the balcony and in their apartment above me, often until midnight. Other than the upstairs neighbors noise at times, the area itself is very quiet.
Hot Day Solution: When I was there during August there were some hot days but as long as I kept the window closed and the thick curtains pulled completely closed, during the time when the sun was directly hitting the window it stayed 70-75 inside. Otherwise, if the curtains are not pulled, it can get up past 80. In August this time was 4pm to 6pm but that will change year round. Otherwise while I was there I left the window open for a cool breeze and since it's a bottom unit, it's fine. When you close the window you push down the little pin on the bottom front to lock it.
Conclusion: If you're looking for a simple, affordable and clean place in a safe part of Oakland with lots of amazing places to eat and free parking, look no further!