This was my second stay. The first one was during June, and went impeccably. Can't say the same about the December stay.
While the place is in line with the listing, and is cleaned daily I believe, and is a comfortable, well-located place for a good value, I had 3 major issues with it that are deal-breakers for future stays:
1. The host is not communicative up to other Airbnb host standards. She does not pick up the phone if you have an urgent issue, and sometimes is unresponsive on messages as well. I had to message her twice to get an answer over 24 hours later.
2. The host has an unsafe practice with door codes. I stayed there in June and the main entrance door code was the same now as 6 months ago. This is a very unsafe practice as many guests come through the 8+ rooms in this house / hostel Airbnb. Furthermore, the ROOM CODES ARE NOT UPDATED IN 6 MONTHS EITHER! Huge red flag folks. Just read the reviews, many guests stay there more than once. This means other people in the house or vicinity potentially have a key not only to the building you stay in, but also to your room!
How do I know that? The host sent me an incorrect room instructions. When I got there, I checked in to the wrong room already occupied by another person. Luckily that person wasn't there and I quickly locked it. Tried calling the host, she didn't pick up. I had an appointment in Manhattan and had to leave ASAP, was already late. So out of desperation, I checked my messages from June and used the door instruction for the room I booked in June, which was next-door and I thought maybe the host made a mistake and the old room I booked was supposed to be reserved for me. The code was the same 6 months later! The room was made up, so I left my luggage and went to the city for my appointment. While on route, the host messaged me the instructions for another room, not the one where my luggage was in. I spent several hours worrying about the safety of my luggage being in another person’s room. The host moved it before I got there, which I appreciated, but it didn’t make the process smooth and carefree in any way.   Also, now I have the 'keys' to 3 rooms in this house. Imagine how many other guests have a heavy keychain like me. Would you feel safe staying there knowing that?
3. The heat - the host keeps this house at very uncomfortable temperatures. If you’re staying there in the cold months, either make sure you have thick skin, polar camping equipment, or avoid this place altogether. I asked her about the heat and she first didn’t bother to reply. When I asked again, she told me she follows NY’s law for heating requirements provided by landlords. I lived in NYC for 8 years and no reasonable landlord who wants to keep tenants follows these rules. They are inhumane. 66F during the day and 55F at night when outside is below freezing. I highly doubt the host treats herself to the same temperatures, yet somehow expects her guests to be comfortable. She is also not a landlord but an Airbnb host - big difference and these NYC heating laws are for landlords not Airbnb hosts. She offered me a refund for the remaining stay as a solution - really? My schedule was so packed there’s no way I would have tried to book a last minute hotel or airbnb mid-stay..I got the flu due to the uncomfortable cold temperatures, I couldn't sleep.
Other than the above, the place is just as described and if you don’t care about safety or comfortable heat in the winter, then it might just be the perfect place for you. I know I’ll be avoiding it on my next trip in February.