We stayed with Renee and Sergei in their 1 bedroom apartment in Bed Stuy for almost a month. Initially I was a bit daunted by the neighbourhood but Renee was very supportive and gave us some good pointers. As it turned out we came to really 'enjoy' living there and mixed and mingled with the locals. The apartment was a very good place to return to at the end of a long day and we were grateful for the excellent facilities, especially the spaciousness and the washer dryer. Renee and Sergei were available immediately if we needed anything. Being on the A subway line made living out there and commuting to Manhattan really easy and we had no problems, even coming home reasonably late at night.
We did find it a bit noisy at night sometimes as the 'street activities' were a bit loud. But we also had a movie being made in the next street over!! had locals that we could say hello to, met polite and friendly residents and shopped with the local businesses. All adventures!!
I only met Sergei once and Renee was extremely welcoming and helpful.
We would certainly consider staying here again should we be lucky enough to return to New York!