@Kunle5
It's actually part of the process of deliberately trying to scare them away.
It goes something like this:
Incoming inquiry or request from "Johnny", a no profile, no history "newbie" for dates x - y.
Response:
"Hello Johnny, and thank you for your interest in Villa Son Gat.
As you have no profile or history with Airbnb, and to ensure the villa is the best solution for your needs, I have a few questions.
First, can you tell me a bit more about yourself? What interests you about the villa? What are the age ranges of the persons that will be staying at the villa?" ...
Reply from guest: "we are a group of friends aged 19-22 years old, wanting to get way from the cold weather up north and have some sun".
From me: " Thank you for your reply Johnny. Surely you can appreciate that your group represents the highest risk guest profile in the tourism business. And for that reason, I will require a 1000€ security deposit, which will be returned to you in cash at checkout time, provided that the villa is reasonably clean, orderly, and damage free. Also I will need you to explicitly agree to all house rules and the penalties for violations of them. If you agree to these terms, I will be happy to approve your booking. Thanks for your understanding".
If that doesn't scare them away, then after booking, I collect the deposit through the resolution center, and give it back in cash at checkout time if all is well.
Surprisingly, the house is almost always amazingly clean, orderly, and damage free under this circumstance. Often better than guests who pay no deposit.
Say what you will, but a 1000 buck carrot can achieve miraculous things 🙂