Offers automatically accepted?

[Bergrún-Anna0]

I am a new user of air bnb so maybe there is something here going over my head, but I have had two offers today which have appeared in my inbox as "accepted" before I have even had a chance to see them or know if those particular dates suit.  I tried to cancel one of them just because the whole thing made me feel a little bit uncomfortable, both with the fact that maybe the dates don't work and also with the fact that it's people coming into my home and I want to have the chance to say yes or no to them. Anyway, I realised while cancelling that I would be penalised for cancelling the reservation, and as it happens these dates do work, so I decided to just let it be, but the whole thing makes me feel very uncomfortable and I can't find anywhere on this website, any setting that I could change to prevent this from happening. Maybe I'm missing some really big obvious button somewhere but it would be great if someone could tell me if this is normal practise on air bnb, or if there is any way I can stop it.

[Quincy]

Hello @Bergrún-Anna0,

Welcome to the Community Community! 

I believe you have Instant Booking enabled. If you have Instant Book on, it will apply to all available dates on your calendar. Guests who meet your requirements will be able to automatically book your space.

Our Help Centre explains what Instant booking is.

- What is Instant Booking?

- How do I turn Instant Booking On/Off?

Let me know how you get on! 🙂 

[Kate157]

Hi @Bergrún-Anna0, yes, as @Quincy said, if Instant Book is turned on, people who meet the parameters you set will be able to book without your ok. I also wanted to mention that if you have dates you don't want booked, you must block those dates on your calendar. You don't want to be deciding on a case by case basis whether or not the dates work for you. Airbnb expects all hosts to update and maintain their calendars. Also, don't worry so much about strangers in your house. We all have to deal with this and the results are overwhelmingly positive. Familiarize yourself with many of the posts and tutorials in this forum, as there is a lot of great information for a new host.