You can pre-approve them - I had a lengthy conversation about this with airbnb. I require both reviews and pre-approval. According to airbnb and my experience, here are the two scenarios:
-a guest inquires that has no verification OR reviews, or a guest inquires with reviews but no verification:
*If I approve them, my calendar blocks out with "pending verification" on the date they requested. If they do not submit verification their reservation disappears after 24 hrs. If they do submit verification it converts to a regular reservation.
*If I deny them they are not on my calendar at all and it is no big deal.
-a guest inquires that has verification, but no previous reviews:
*It is solely my choice to approve or deny them. If I approve them, their reservation immeidately appears on my calendar.
*I can approve people with no reviews, it's just they can't "instant book".
