How do I block someone from reserving my place when they've never been a guest?

[Gill8]

A woman did an inquiry about our place. I looked at her reviews, and both her past hosts rated her poorly on rules following because she smoked in their place when their rules told her not to.

My wife and I are EXTREMELY allergic to cigarette smoke, to the point where even the smell lingering on a guest's clothing can trigger a severe reaction when we clean. We tell people we want only non-smokers, yet she did an inquiry.

First, she has proven from past stays that she can't be trusted to follow the rules, and I don't do business with people I don't trust.

Second, if she stays, it creates a health risk for us.

I'd like to block her so she can't stay. But the only means I see is if someone stays and does something I don't like -- the blocking feature is only reactionary and doesn't allow for proactive decision-making.

Is there a way for me to block her proactively?

[Huma0]

@Gill8 

Firstly, are you using instant booking? If so, you could disable that. If you don't want to do that, go to the settings and click that the guest must be 'recommended by hosts'. That is not fool proof, as Airbnb is vague about what that actually means, but I have avoided instant bookings from guests with bad reviews this way in the past.

Otherwise, to block a guest, you need to click on the little flag next to one of their messages. You have to choose 'they're being offensive' as that's the only option that gives you the ability to block. I know it's not nice to accuse someone of being offensive if they haven't been, but there is not other choice right now, and I don't believe that Airbnb even act on it. It does mean they can neither message nor book with you.

Some hosts would say block out one of the dates that the guest wants to book on your calendar, but I don't see why we should lose other potential bookings because a guest can't follow the house rules. 

Bear in mind also if you do not use IB, then an enquiry doesn't mean anything. You just have to respond to it within 24 hours. However, if that guest then sends a request to book, you have to either accept or decline within 24 hours. That will affect your acceptance rate and, quite possibly, your position in the search ranking. So, if you get an enquiry from a guest who you know is unsuitable, just be honest about it. Tell her that you cannot accept her based on her previous rules and that any type of smoking would be a major issue for you. Some people are persistent, but most will get the message and go away.

[Anonymous]

@Gill8   Wow, that's quite an astonishing coincidence that you and your wife both share this very specific condition! This is definitely a good reason for you to keep Instant Book permanently disabled.

Strictly speaking, anything that guests do outside of your property is not in your jurisdiction, so your preference for non-smokers is totally unenforceable as a rule. This means you'll have to screen each of your requests individually and engage guests in some discussion before accepting bookings to make sure you trust them not to endanger your health. Sure you can block one particular profile from booking too, but it's very unlikely that she'll attempt to book again after being declined (and there's nothing stopping someone else from booking the place with her as a group member anyway).