Thank you for this @Clare0 ... I have only been hosting for about six months. Many, many people ask me for times outside my actual calendar time window so I have to decline their requests. I also have people requesting and then backing out. So I have actually never really declined anyone who has requested for time within a window--and this has only been one time!
I feel helpless about this because I am actually playing by the rules and eager to host. I just wish this wasn't so black and white because if you really track the metrics closely, you see that these people request a booking and then in a message ask for a longer-term possibility, which I can't accept or honor.
Uff ..I just wish I could approach Airbnb and correct this. It's not accurate and is causing my nerves to fray as I want to continue hosting. I also had to beg my first people to write a review, and they never did because they didn't see the point of it and are not regular users of the service so I am already trying to build against a grain. It's okay. I trust in time this will smooth out. Doha is not an easy place expect straightforward.