Pros - fast response from host, great location
Cons - dead cockroach, ants, dirty everywhere, spider webs, and so much more. Why even charge the cleaning fee if this is the case?
Pro: host is very fast and responsive.
I would ask her a question and usually i'd get a response within an hour or two. Very quick, very helpful. Better than most places I've stayed. The location is also great - it's by the park, easy walk to grocery, the subway, street parking if you have a car, and close to all the touristy things you want to do. Great!
Cons: it's so dirty, so so so dirty.
We found a dead cockroach by the bed, ants throughout one wall of the kitchen, left over food wrappers from previous tenant by the couch, broken soap holder where you could potentially hurt yourself in the shower, dirty aircon filters, really dirty sofa bed, spider webs on window, really greasy and oily oven.
I don't think the apartment was actually cleaned after the last few tenants lived there. If you look at the windows or the carpet stains, it certainly doesn't look good.
To the host's credit, she offered to have cleaners come over the next day. But honestly, that should have been done before I came, it should have been checked, and it shouldn't inconvenience me or take up my time like this. The level of dirty was so far beyond acceptable that I seriously doubt what these cleaners do. I wasn't going to try coordinating a time where we could be home to be with the cleaners to tell them what really needed cleaning.
We paid about $650 for a cleaning fee, and I honestly feel scammed.