Expired Inquiry after no response from guest.

[Tam2273]

I have just received a message from Airbnb saying that should I allow another inquiry to expire, that they will block the dates up to a week. 
This to me is ridiculous ridiculous, considering that Airbnb does not take correspondence into account. It hardly seems fair and does not promote safety for hosts, as I would face the same consequences if I declined. (I was advised on this forum to rather let it expire than decline).

A guest sent an enquiry saying “for holiday….checking not sure. Still need to book my plane tickets.” 
I responded saying that we would love to host him and advised that we require a verified ID to book. He didn’t respond, in fact, he never even looked at the message. So why as a host should I be penalised? 
Has anyone faced a similar situation? 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Tam2273 just want to check you know the difference between a booking inquiry and a booking request. The former do need to be answered but you should not accept/decline (even though the website suggests you should). A booking request must be accepted or declined in 24 hours (oe less sometimes). Now - If a guest inadvertently makes a booking request you can ask them to cancel it otherwise you will have to accept/decline them - They will likely delete the request as if you accept it then they have committed to book.

Hope this helps