Let me start by providing the positive notes for this rental: The location is absolutely perfect and is close to the subway. and check in was a breeze. Couldn't ask for more there. Additionally, it is one of the more affordable rentals in the area.
There are a few things that you should be aware of though.
- When I arrived the place was not very well cleaned. The host's personal items had been hastily thrown behind the couch and had a blanket tossed over them. The mini-fridge had some half-eaten food and there was some fruit that was mushy and had gone bad on top of the fridge.
- The bathroom, while newly remodeled, was not well cleaned and the host left a number of his personal items out that were rather unappealing. It is clear that the building needs maintenance, as the water came out slightly orange and rusty both times that we tried to fill a bath.
- When I arrived, there were no towels in the apartment. The check-in instructions said to reach out to his neighbor if we needed help, but she was out of town. After getting in touch with him, he said that he would try to have the towels delivered by the evening, but that I may just want to go personally buy some (thankfully they were indeed delivered).
- One of the evenings the neighbors below the unit played loud music for around 5 hours. When I couldn't take it anymore, I contacted the host who informed me that it was his friend and that I should go knock on her door to tell them to be quiet. Not the end of the world, but if the host is friends with that person he could have easily called them to handle this for us.
Overall it was definitely a worse experience than I expected, but if the price is your main motivator, then you likely will have trouble beating this location. I understand that the host did everything he could (he was out of town), but he really needs to coordinate better with his friend that looks over the place to ensure that the apartment is well-cleaned and prepared for new guests.