Dear fellow hosts,
I'm sure this question has come up previously, but I'm relatively new to hosting and couldn't find a definitive answer for this. Anyway, I have a question about pre-approving/declining guests. Do we get penalized (i.e. lower search rankings) if we decline inquiries from unqualified guests who do not meet house rules? I have gotten a few requests recently which were just begging to be declined:
1. Booking attempts with number of people more than my place can accommodate for.
2. Inquiries from people who don't read house rules (no pets, no children, etc.)
3. People who attempted to communicate outside of Airbnb before a reservation is made.
4. People who don't respond after their first inquiries.
5. Lowballers asking for deep discounts.
I understand that I must respond within 24 hours, but is responding to the initial inquiry enough to avoid getting penalized? Do we have to press "Decline" for it to be considered a full response? Does declining an inquiry lower my search rankings?
Thanks,
Yan