Why can guests try to book for 2 with an infant when it is against our listing rules

[Joan376]

We had a guest inquire about our listing. Then we noticed on the sidebar that they were 2 with an infant. Our listing is marked for 2 people, this is also written in the description, and we specifically checked the boxes saying it is NOT suitable for infant or even children.

We declined the booking and now we have 83% acceptance rate (we are just getting started a few days ago). And we had to write a justification message to Airbnb.

Is there anything we can do so people with an infant aren't able to book or inquire?

Why are we penalized on the acceptance rate when they shouldn't have been able to inquire in the first place?

Besides, I was under the impression that since we have instant book ON, we could decline or cancel without penalty. Should we just message them and wait for them to retract their inquiry?

[Emiel1]

@Joan376 

Your posting is confusing:

An inquiry is just a question, so no need to decline, just answer the question. It also has nothing to do with Instant Book. A baby does not count towards the amount of guests.

[Kenneth12]

Presuming this was a booking request that you had to accept or decline:

First,  kindly inform the potential guests that your space is not appropriate/safe for infants,  and ask them to please withdraw the request;

if all else fails,  you can send a Special Offer for $5000/night if the timer is about to run out.

Note that your acceptance rate is no big deal,  though you can't have more than 10 denials in a row without getting a nagemail;   your response rate is a big deal.