Odd Requests

[Lynn118]

 I seem to be getting odd requests lately.  I had one person say that they couldn't afford to rent my room, but could he sleep on the couch for $15 a night.  I had another person say that they really needed a place to stay but couldn't pay the fee at the time of booking, but would settle up with me a few days after their stay.  I had a person want to stay with their toddler.  When I told them no because my house isn't set up for toddlers, which I clearly state in my description, they told me that they had no other place to stay and didn't know what they were going to do.  I declined these guests.  Has anyone else getting requests similar to these?

[Hilary-And-Ed0]

Hi @Lynn118,

Agreed - those are truly odd requests.  I have not gotten any similar requests, but I think you did the rght thing to decline.  The most dangerous one is to let someone come without paying.  Yoy would have no recourse/protection there at all.

But again, you were right to decline them all.

Weird..

[Lynn118]

Thank you for your insight. I read somewhere that declining can lower your rating. I don't want to decline guests, but can't approve requests like these. Feeing kind of trapped.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Lynn118

Looks like the guest from the 1st inquiry should be on couchsurfing, not Airbnb. 

I was worried about too many declines as well, so one thing I did was I would send a message along the lines of

"I would love to be your host but only if you agree to respect my house rule regarding "no unregistered guests ( in your case, not suitable for toddlers)". I will pre-approve with the understanding that if you confirm your booking to stay at my home, you agree that you will not bring any friends or aquaintences into my home during your stay. (your toddler will not accompany you in my home during your stay with me.)

[Lynn118]

Thanks! That's a great way to handle these requests! 

[Amy38]

@Jessica-and-Henry0  Right on Jessica....I never decline....I write a letter like yours explaining the unsuitability of the place for them and then wait till just before the 24 hour response clock runs down.  Then I accept them but they have already moved on and my response rate is intact.

[Todd-and-Reese0]

Can anyone confirm or verify that declining requests will reduce your visibility?

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Todd-and-Reese0

I'm not sure about visibility of the listing being affected by declines, but some hosts have mentioned that they get threating e-mails or notifications if they decline often.

It seems that Airbnb does not want hosts to be picky about the kind of guests we let into our home, which is also quite obvious by the way they are shoving "instant book" down our throats. But then again claim that it's the HOST responsibility to screen for unsuitable guests and enforce house rules - go figure. 

[Todd-and-Reese0]

I've gotten inquiries  from people with no profile, no ID, no reviews. No way I am approving them. I hate that I can't just tell them to complete their profile and then request. Terrible system. 

[Lyndsey2]

I've been having to turn down an unusual number of requests recently. Is there some way the guest can retract their inquiry or request themselves once we've figured out that no, I will not lower my rates and yes, it is fine if you book somewhere else that better fits your budget then. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Lyndsey2

Pre-approving does not affect your reservation status or calendar whatsoever - unless you (host) choose to block the dates of the inquiry for the duration of the pre-approval. 

A simple example is, you can pre-approve someone but before the pre-approval expires, someone else can instant book your listing. (I've had this happen to me one time.) 

Once I was able to confirm this fact, I never decline. I always approve but send a very clear message that my pre-approval is conditional upon the guest understanding and agreeing to respect my house rules - which I send again as a reminder.  Same for hagglers. I just say that my listing is very competitively priced and if the guest is able to find a better listing within their budget that is more suitable to their needs, they are more than welcome to ignore my pre-approval which will expire in 24hrs anyway and make reservations elsewhere. 

[Lyndsey2]

Yeah, I hear that, but a lot of the weird requests I get make me concerned the guest wouldn't be well suited for my property anyway so I don't really want to encourage those bookings. 

[Lyndsey2]

I get the toddler/baby request all the time. We tried it once and the father spent half the night out in my driveway yelling into his cell phone so he wouldn't wake the baby by doing it in the house.

[Helen3]

Hi @Lynn118

I haven't had those requests but have had requests from

1. someone in the UK who didn't like living with his parents and thought by my reviews meant I would make a great substitute - could he come and stay with me (for free!!!)

2. Couple who wanted to bring baby and hamster into my not suitable for infants, not suitable for animal listing (and would I be around to babysit for a few hours so they could go out for lunch)

3. Someone who wanted me to pick them up and drop them off from a train station half and hour away and take them from Bristol to Cardiff - an hour away as they weren't familiar with the area

As you become more experienced as a host, you will see you get all sorts. You are doing the right thing - just hit the decline button.

You have to be declining the vast majority before BNB start penalising you.

[Kelly149]

@Lynn118 also keep in mind that an Inquiry is entirely different from a Reservation Request 

the Inquiry must be responded to but does not have to be pre-approved or declined -- though you may do so, it is not required. 

The Reservation Request must be approved or declined but there are reasons why listed if you decline