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A woman was fined $2,500 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (November 19) for managing an unlicensed guesthouse in Mong Kok.
The court heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department (HAD), inspected the premises in Shanghai Street, Mong Kok, in June. An OLA inspector, posing as a lodger, rented a room on the premises at a daily rent of $200.
OLA inspectors also found six rooms on the premises, and most of them were equipped with sleeping accommodation and ablution facilities.
The defendant admitted that she was responsible for receiving guests, cleaning and housekeeping on the premises. She was subsequently charged with managing a guesthouse without a certificate of exemption or a valid licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
An HAD spokesman stressed that it was a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse. He appealed to the public to call 2881 7498 to report unlicensed guesthouses.
Ends/Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:01
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