Bica Houses - Tram Spot Apartment

We had a mixed experience renting this home. While the owners are friendly, professional and willing to help, the circumstances we faced in this particular home was unpleasant. The photos conceal some gaps in basic livability standards. It might be ok, if you're renting for a weekend. But, anything more than a weekend, means you're making a serious compromise.
1. The layout of the home is like a train coach - the living room, room#2, kitchen, bathroom room #1, backyard. The only useful windows for light and air are in the front. This means 60% of the house has zero light or air exposure. The room#1 in the back of the house has a small window and door to the yard, but does not provide any light.
2. The bathroom has zero ventilation, so expect high humidity. The bathroom also came without curtains or any storage, so once again it was below basic living standards.
3. The hosts were nice enough to install washer and dryer, which we really appreciated. But, the laundry room is dark and dingy. We had mold all over our stuff that we had stored here. The issue might have been made worse due to the incessant storms during our stay. Even so, for us - this felt like below living standards.
4. The kitchen does not have any hood or ventilation and just a basic induction stove with 2 plates. There zero natural air or light in the kitchen. If you plan on cooking here, expect the kitchen to get damp very soon.
5. The Good part of the location is its close to lot of restaurants. On the other side, this street has numerous bars and it can get very noisy during the weekends.

The hosts are great people, but the fact is the unit does come short of meeting basic living standards, if you're planning to stay for more than a weekend!

LANDLORD'S REPLY:

The photographs of the property available on the Flatio website show the exact layout of the house, including the stovetop and the bathroom. When renting an apartment through a platform, one must pay close attention to the type of property being chosen. Before we signed the final contract, I sent a video to the tenant so they could inspect the property and confirm they wished to proceed with the rental. The property did not have a washer-dryer, and at the tenants' request, we arranged an alternative solution so they could have a washing machine. In fact, we installed the machine in a small, dark location that had been agreed upon over the phone with the tenant. The property was clearly too small for this family's needs, and they asked us to end the tenancy without notice, which we did not accept. It is unfortunate that the review was written in this context, unfairly damaging the reputation of our property.

As fotografias da casa disponíveis no site da Flatio mostram a exata configuração da casa, além de mostrarem a placa do fogão e a casa de banho. Quando se arrenda um apartamento por plataforma há que olhar com atenção para o tipo de propriedade que se está a escolher. Antes de celebrarmos o contrato definitivo, enviei um video ao inquilino para verificar a propriedade e certificar-se de que queria prosseguir com o arrendamento. A propriedade não tinha máquina de lavar e secar e, a pedido dos inquilinos, nós arranjámos uma solução de recurso para eles poderem ter máquina. Aliás, instalámos a máquina num local pequeno e escuro acordado telefonicamente com o inquilino. A casa era manifestamente pequena para as necessidades desta família e pediram-nos para terminar o arrendamento sem aviso prévio, o que nós não aceitámos. É triste que a avaliação seja feita neste contexto, prejudicando injustamente a nossa propriedade.

Neighborhood
Great for restaurants, Getting around due to public transport.
Not the most ideal for families with kids. Its tourist central. We even got pickpocketed in this area, which is quite rare in Portugal.