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A woman was convicted and fined $3,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (August 20) for operating a guesthouse in Mong Kok that was outside the premises indicated in the guesthouse licence.
The court heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection in March this year. The investigation team found that a room outside the licensed business area of the guesthouse in Nathan Road, Mong Kok, was rented to a patron on a daily basis. Since the room rented out did not possess a valid certificate or a licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance on the day of inspection, the woman was charged with contravening Section 21(3)(b) of the ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that it was a criminal offence to operate a guesthouse outside the premises stated in the guesthouse licence and enforcement action would be taken against illegal guesthouse operations to ensure the safety of lodgers. He appealed to the public to report unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA at 2881 7498.
Ends/Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:31
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