The host was very accommodating in providing us the key: he met us at a restaurant of our choice, at the time of our choice, which was late in the evening. We very much appreciated it, given our busy schedule. The host is not perfectly fluent in English, but somehow we understood each other.
Check-in was straightforward, except that finding parking for our car was not easy in that area. We were lucky to have found parking for our car only 7 minutes away by foot from the apartment, and we've been driving circles for quite some time before we found a vacant spot. If you're driving, we'd recommend figuring out parking laws around there in advance, as they are tricky (zones, payment, intervals of the day, etc).
We found the apartment quite clean and overall in good shape, which includes the public entrance. Be advised however, that the apartment is also pretty dark, so that one needs lights turned on during the day. Also, when it's raining, the rain drops are pretty loud and this noise can wake one up. At the same time, the place looks authentic, which adds a lot of charm to it.
The area overall doesn't look luxury by any means, but it's in a walking distance from the center of the city and features a bunch of bars, so it should work well for someone looking for nightlife.