@Kara400 I think it's quite wise not to accept this booking as it's for NYE and the guest just doesn't have enough info for you to feel okay about it. And guests who are up to no good often target new listings, banking on the host being naive.
If I were you, I might even block New Year's Eve altogether this year while you're getting the hang of things. Sure, you could get a good price, but it's also a magnet for partiers.
But in general, when it comes to requests, being a new guest is often like being a new host-- not sure how things work, not sure what's required, or proper protocol or what's expected by way of communication.
So if you say to a newbie guest that you require verifications, they may not understand what that entails. So try to be specific with guests. "Hi XX, I see you are new to Airbnb. I would feel more comfortable about considering your request if you took the time to do a bit of a profile write up on your profile page, and submitted verified ID to Airbnb. You have no reviews yet, and hosts need to see that guests have made some effort to present themselves to hosts with some information."
You shouldn't ever feel bad about not accepting a booking you have a bad feeling about. Hosts' intuition usually turns out to be spot on, and hosts who've ignored it often regret it.
You do have to either accept or decline a request within 24 hours, but you may also be able to get the guest to withdraw it so you don't have to decline. If a request is inappropriate, you can try something like, in the case you have now, for instance, " Hi XX, I'm sorry, but you still haven't submitted any verified ID as requested, so I will not be able to accept this booking. I suggest you withdraw your request ASAP so you will be free to look for another place. "
Or in another scenario, "Hi XX, thank you for your request. As stated in my house rules, I don't accept pets, and I can't make an exception for your dog. Please withdraw your request so you will be free to look for a pet-friendly listing. "
And be aware that if it's an Inquiry, as opposed to a Request, the options are pre-approve, decline, or just message back. You never need to decline an Inquiry- just message them back explaining why your place wouldn't be a good fit for them, or whatever the case may be. You don't need to keep answering their messages if they get pesky- responding once to an Inquiry is all that's required. The Inquiry will expire in 24 hours, and doesn't block your calendar to other requests or bookings.
