A guest asked to pay cash instead of going through Airbnb.

[John3049]

Entering my second month as a host and received a recent inquiry of a guest asking to pay in cash. Wasn’t sure what to do so I declined. Is this normal?

[Linda108]

While not normal for a guest to seek to pay cash, it does happen.  The guest saves Air BNB fee and host risks losing the listing on Air BNB.  No brainer to refuse.  Additionally, it would be a good step to report the profile as this person will continue to want to circumvent Air BNB and a new host might not realize it is against the terms and conditions.

[Andrea-and-Francis0]

Yes cash payments are against Airbnb rules. You can flag the guests account so they don't try to scam other hosts. Also if a guest pays cash, Airbnb will not support you if you have any issues or need to make a claim & your insurance with Airbnb with this guest will be void. Definitely not worth the risk. 

[Sarah977]

@John3049  Declines count against you and if it's an Inquiry (a opposed to a Booking Request) you don't need to decline the Inquiry- just messaging back within the 24 hour window fulfills your obligations. So in the future, if you get Inquiries which are inappropriate, just message back telling the guest that you can't accommodate what they are asking.