I rented Tom and Reina's place based on the photos (bright, airy) and the location (near the park and subway in Brooklyn). It seemed like a great deal. Only after I had paid did I read the decidedly mixed reviews, and begin to wonder what I had gotten myself into.
Now, having stayed there, I can say I'm glad I booked. The space is big and bright and comfy, and the location near Prospect Park and the subway can't be beat. We had a great stay!
As for the complaints voiced by some in previous reviews, a few have a point, others are just pointless carping. First off - the shared entry. This didn't bother me at all, and Tom totally respected our privacy. Not to mention, the shared entry is mentioned prominently in the ad, and Tom made a point of confirming with me that I was aware of it before accepting my booking. If you're complaining about that, you really weren't paying attention.
Another complainant claimed there was no AC in the place. At least during my visit, there was a fully functioning central air-con system to keep the place comfortable.
One guest also complained of stuff stored in the stairway. There is indeed stuff- bikes and other such stuff - but it's no worse than say an Amsterdam walk-up; that's what stairs are for.
As to cleanliness, I found the place quite clean, with the sole exception of some leftover hair clumps in the rubber hair trap in the bathtub. Given that there's a separate charge for cleaning, I'd suggest checking up a bit on the quality control here.
One reviewer commented on the amount of stuff stored in the place. Here I agree and disagree. The place is huge, so
believe or not the upright piano and running machine really don't get in the way (really!). And on the up side Tom has some great books lying around that guests can read. And I have some sympathy for a host trying to actually rent out a space he mostly or sometimes uses himself (ie the original airbnb ideal) rather than creating a dedicated rental sublet. That said, if it were me, I wouldn't leave my cleaning products hanging in the shower rack, nor would I leave frozen meals or other foods not meant for guests in the fridge/freezer. The only real place where I found this to be a problem was in the bedroom, where the host's stuff took up 80% of the only closet, leaving very little for us to unpack our stuff.
Finally, Tom does insist that guests remove their shoes before entering, which is fine by me. HOwever, it would help if there were a dedicated guest shelf on the enormous shoe rack on the landing. As it is, guests have to search among the hosts shoes for an empty shoe parking stall, or else do as we did and just leave the shoes under a small banquette.
In summary, the drawbacks really are small beer, while the place itself is wonderful.