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A woman was convicted and fined $3,000 at the Eastern Magistrates' Court today (September 2) for operating an unlicensed guesthouse in Wan Chai.
The court heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of Home Affairs Department inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Jaffe Road, Wan Chai in March this year. The investigation team found signboards of the guesthouse outside the premises and 19 guestrooms inside the unit. A family of three was found in one guestroom and one of the guests admitted that they rented the room on a daily basis.
According to OLA's record, the guesthouse did not possess a valid certificate or a licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance on the day of inspection. The woman, who managed the guesthouse, was charged with contravening Section 5(1) of the ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that it was a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse and enforcement action would continue to 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/Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Issued at HKT 17:01
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