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A woman was fined $2,500 at Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (October 8) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The court heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, in April. Rooms with accommodation facilities and a guest were found at the premises and the guest admitted that a room in the premises was rented on a daily basis. The woman, who was the manager of the guesthouse, provided assistance for the management of the premises.
According to OLA's record, the premises did not have a valid certificate of exemption or a license on the inspection day and therefore Section 5(1) of the ordinance was contravened.
A department spokesman said it was a criminal offence to operate unlicensed guesthouses and that enforcement action would continue to be taken against them to ensure the safety of lodgers. He also appealed to the public to report unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA on 2881 7498.
Ends/Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Issued at HKT 14:33
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