The neighborhood was as described. It is in the process of gentrification and many apartments have been updated. The updates in this apartment were not recent and were done in an inferior way. The exterior of this terraced flat is in need of a bit of paint and some greenery! Our apartment was located on the ground floor, but has been divided into three separate flats. It is not as roomy as described. There is not room for 8 people to sit at the table, and the sitting room/kitchenette occupies a cramped space. The living area's two sofas are small and in need of replacement. The sleeper sofa is not usable, even for young children! (Our 9 year old grandsons slept on the sofas, which were the size of American loveseats.) The flat was extremely uncomfortable during the day since we experienced a heatwave and the windows were fixed to open only about 30 centimeters in the living room/kitchen. Additionally, we had to work to release the middle window which was stuck with paint! The bedrooms had fixed windows that were also made to open only partially, so air circulation was a problem. The toilet room (toilet and sink) was built under a stairway, so it required tall users to bend down to avoid bumping their heads. The shower bath had a leak from the shower pan, so water seeped onto the floor; we had to mop it up after each use. The refrigerator was adequate for our needs, but there was no ice in the freezer. The stove was quite good after we figured out how to use it, but there were no directions! The distances to stores, restaurants and the Tube were much further than described; nothing was as close as indicated in the advertisement. We experienced difficulty with the washer/dryer, and were forced to use our phones to find directions. Our clothes needed to by hung to dry completely, and the dryer rack was broken (pieces of it are missing!).
Although we appreciated having a flat that could accommodate our group, we were surprised to find the problems noted above since so many of the VRBO reviews were positive. The apartment has potential, but is in need of some "TLC" and repairs.