Appalled at the lack of courtesy of people in this subreddit.
If you message a poster asking for detailed information — rent, deposit, furnishing, location, timelines, house rules, etc and then decide you’re not interested, inform them. Ghosting after extracting information shows a complete lack of basic courtesy and wastes time, especially when the person posting is coordinating with multiple leads during an already exhausting house-hunt.
Yes, it is entirely the poster's choice whom they reply to or proceed with. That is not the issue. The issue is initiating a conversation, requesting details, receiving them, and then disappearing without a word. Once information has been shared with you, the bare minimum responsibility is to clearly state disinterest. Anything less is inconsiderate.
Additionally, if there are strict, non-negotiable conditions (only vegetarian, only non-smoker, lifestyle restrictions, etc.), these must be disclosed at the very beginning. Dropping deal-breakers after 10–15 messages of back-and-forth is careless and unnecessary. If a criterion is absolute, it should not be an afterthought.
Clear communication is not optional. Courtesy is not a favor. If neither can be managed, don’t initiate contact.