A declined booking request means the landlord chose not to accept your application. You are not charged unless the landlord accepts — a decline means no charge and no penalty — and you can search for another listing and try again straight away.
Common reasons for decline
Landlords don’t always give a reason, but the most common situations are:
- Dates no longer available — the landlord may have accepted another booking for the same period just before yours arrived. This is the most common reason and has nothing to do with your profile.
- Tenant profile mismatch — some landlords set preferences for the type of tenant they want. If your profile doesn’t match — for example, a student-only listing and you’re a young professional — your request may be declined.
- Incomplete profile — a profile with no bio gives landlords very little to go on. The less they know about you, the more uncertain they feel about accepting.
- References or a guarantor — a landlord may require character references or guarantor information before accepting a booking request (Terms of Service 6.2). If they ask for these and don’t receive them, declining is a legitimate outcome. You will be informed if a landlord requires them.
- No response within 48 hours — if the landlord doesn’t respond in time, your request expires automatically. This is not technically a decline, but the outcome is the same.
If you’re seeing repeated declines, the most likely fix is updating your profile — more on that below.
Are you charged for a declined booking?
No — you are not charged for a declined booking request. On Uniplaces, your card is only charged after a landlord accepts your request (Terms of Service 5.3). A decline at any stage means no charge, no penalty, and no negative impact on your account.
When you sent the request, a temporary authorisation was placed on your card. This is not a charge. If the request is declined or expires, the authorisation is released by your bank, although it can take a few working days to disappear from your statement.
The same applies if a request expires without a response.
What to do after a decline
The short answer: keep going. Here’s what to do.
- Search for alternatives — go back to your search results and look for similar listings in the same area. When a request is declined, Uniplaces will also make reasonable efforts to suggest other suitable properties to you (Terms of Service 6.1). Use the Instant Booking filter to find listings where the landlord has set requests to be accepted automatically — the booking is confirmed once your payment goes through, with no wait for the landlord.
- Update your profile — add a short bio if you haven’t already. Explain who you are, why you’re moving to the city, and what kind of tenant you are. Two or three sentences is enough to make a real difference.
- Check your dates — if you’re flexible on move-in or move-out dates, adjusting them slightly can open up more listings.
Can you ask the landlord why?
Landlords are not required to give a reason for declining. If you want to understand what happened after a decline, contact the Uniplaces support team and ask them to follow up. As a general rule, if the listing shows the “”Talk to the landlord”” option, you can message the landlord before booking. Otherwise, you can contact the landlord directly once your booking is confirmed; before that, questions go through Uniplaces support.
Worth knowing: in most cases, a decline comes down to timing or profile fit — neither of which reflects badly on you as a tenant.
When to contact Uniplaces support
Contact the support team if:
- You believe your request was declined unfairly or discriminatorily
- You’ve had multiple declines in a row and can’t identify why
- You need help understanding what landlords can see on your profile
- You were charged after a decline — this should not happen, so contact support immediately if it does
Frequently asked questions
How long does a landlord have to respond to my booking request?
Landlords have 48 hours to accept or decline a booking request. If they don’t respond within that window, your request expires automatically and you are not charged.
Can I send another request to the same landlord after a decline?
Yes — there’s no restriction on sending a new request to the same landlord. If you believe the decline was due to timing or a misunderstanding, you can try again after updating your profile.
Will a declined request affect my account or future bookings?
No — declined requests have no negative impact on your Uniplaces account. You can send as many booking requests as you need until you find the right place.
Can a landlord ask me for references or a guarantor before accepting?
Yes. A landlord may require character references or guarantor information before accepting your booking request, and you will be informed if they do (Terms of Service 6.2). They may also ask for these once the booking is confirmed. Not providing them is a legitimate reason for a landlord to decline.
What if I think the decline was discriminatory?
Uniplaces does not tolerate discrimination on the platform. If you believe you were declined based on nationality, religion or any other protected characteristic, contact the support team immediately and they will look into it.