quick advise - pre approve VS decline

[Caterina123]

Hi all,

I'm new and a guest asked some questions then decided not to book cos they wanted a private parking that is not available.

What do i have to do to avoid penalty fees?

decline?

pre approve?

archive?

Thanks,

Caterina

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Caterina123 -  There is a difference between a reservation "inquiry" vs. "request".  The actions are typically the same but only an excessive amount of "declines" will count against you (no fees exactly, just dings against you as a host) with regards to "requests".  There is lots of information about this here in the forums and in the Help Center. 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Tips-Tutorials/Difference-between-a-Reservation-Inquiry-or-Reque...

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/363/what-does-each-reservation-status-mean

This is about REQUESTS (not inquiries): https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/28/what-do-i-do-after-i-receive-a-reservation-request

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/360/can-i-decline-booking-inquires-or-reservation-requests

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/75/how-much-time-does-a-host-have-to-respond-to-my-reservation-r...

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/430/what-is-response-rate-and-how-is-it-calculated

If you use Instant Book, any "request" will automatically be accepted as long as the host meets your minimum requirements for booking. https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/523/what-is-instant-book

Penalty fees only happen with "cancellations" : https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/990/i-m-a-host--what-penalties-apply-if-i-need-to-cancel-a-reser...

https://www.airbnb.com/help/search?q=host+cancellation+penalties&sid=0f56ff07-369e-4333-a075-2546b36...