The house itself was fine. It has been renovated, but it appears to be a DIY job and was a bit sloppy in a few places, as you might expect for a rental. The furniture was acceptable, but not top notch. The house was clean, and the location can't be beat. You are within walking distance of all the best spots along Magazine St. The owner was friendly and communicative. Normally I would give this 5 Stars and move on, but...
This house/listing seems to be a victim of the current controversy surrounding short-term rentals in New Orleans. The property is a "double shotgun." According to the City's STR registry, only one of the two units is permitted as of March 2023. This has caused some controversy on the block.
We hadn't even made it to the porch before a neighbor ran over to us, told us we were staying at an "illegal rental" and talked at us for 5 minutes about the owner and how STRs are bad for the neighborhood. On day 2, a different neighbor stopped us and told us much the same thing. There's obviously a lot of resentment about this rental existing in this nice neighborhood. Anyone staying here should be aware that you will be viewed as unwelcome by the neighbors, though they won't phrase it that way when they approach you. And they will definitely approach you.
I'm lowering my review from 5 stars to 4 because some of the neighborhood reaction falls on the owner. Hopefully they can get the permitting situation cleared up and the neighbors chill out, in which case we'd stay here again.