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A woman was fined $7,000 at Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (November 5) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The court heard that the officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, in August last year. Nine rooms were found and four guests were met in two rooms. The woman, who was the keeper of the guesthouse, admitted that the premises were rented on a daily basis through the Internet without a valid licence.
According to OLA's record, the premises did not have a valid certificate of exemption or a licence as required under Section 5(2) of the Ordinance on the inspection day.
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, November 5, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:00
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