A booking request is a resident's proposal to stay in a specific room (or rooms) for specific dates. Until you accept and payment processes, nothing is confirmed.
The shape of the flow
Resident submits request → Pending host response → Accepted by host
↓ ↓
Declined by host Resident pays
or ↓
Missed by host Confirmed booking
The booking moves through several internal states as it progresses: pending host response, pending payment, then a confirmed payment state once everything settles.
Step by step
1. Resident submits a request
The resident picks dates, rooms, and confirms personal details. You see the request in Bookings and get a notification.
2. You have 48 hours to respond
Counted from when the request lands. During this window you can:
- Review the resident — profile, verification status, why they're moving.
- Message the resident in the Inbox — questions don't extend the timer, so respond fast.
- Accept — moves the booking to its payment state.
- Decline — sends the resident a note and releases them.
If 48 hours pass without action, the request is marked as Slipping Away. If no response is given by 120 hours, the system auto-marks it as Missed by Host. A missed request counts worse against your metrics than a clean decline.
3. Accept
When you accept:
- The booking moves to the payment state. If the resident has a card on file, payment is captured; otherwise the booking sits in pending payment until they pay.
- Once paid, the booking is confirmed. The room is held on your calendar.
- The resident gets a confirmation and your check-in instructions if configured.
- The instalment counts toward your balance for payout.
4. Decline
When you decline:
- You pick a reason from a preset list (and can add a short note).
- The resident sees the reason and is free to look elsewhere.
- Frequent declines hurt your acceptance rate.
5. Missed
If 120 hours pass with no response, the system auto-marks the request missed by host. The resident is notified and your response performance takes a hit.
What you see on the request
When you open a request, you see the resident's profile information: verification status, age, occupation, languages, the reason they're moving, past bookings if any.
Multi-room requests
A single booking can include several rooms in the same listing (a couple, a friend group, a family). You accept or decline the request as a whole.
What happens if the resident cancels
Before you accept, the resident can cancel with no penalty. After you accept (or after payment), cancellations follow the cancellation policy of your listing — see Cancellations: who can cancel and the impact on you.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I get more time to respond? A: No, the 48-hour window is fixed. Message the resident early if you need information — they often wait.
Q: Can I see who the resident is before accepting? A: Yes. Profile, verification status, age, occupation, reason for moving.
Q: What if I accept and then can't host? A: Contact support to cancel — host-initiated cancellations are not a UI action.
Q: Why didn't I get notified about a new request? A: Check that notifications are enabled in your account settings, and that our emails aren't in spam.
Q: The resident wants to pay outside the platform. What do I do? A: Always decline. Off-platform payment voids our cancellation, dispute, and payout protections.