@Darren29 I do this all the time. I bend the platform to my style of hosting, and taking a deposit and balance of payment 30 -60 days in advance suits my style. I don't offer it, but I do consider it depending on the guest and the request.
Here's what I do:
Tell them to book half of full requested dates - so if they want 6 days, they book the first three right away. Then once the first booking is done, I block the calendar for the next three dates. I diarize this, and on the date when the second payment is due, I send them a note through the system to say "hey, I'm going to open the calendar tomorrow in order for you to make the second half of the booking, please make sure you make the booking between X and Y so that nobody else books the place while the calendar is open" or something like that. I've done this a pile of times, and it's never backfired (fingers crossed).
If, for some reason, the guest doesn't make the second payment, you still have a valid booking for three days, and it's up to them to figure out the additional nights. I don't take the second booking off of the platform if they ask, although I will do a private booking fro repeat guests.
I hope that helps!