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A man and a woman were fined $6,000 and $3,000 respectively at Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (May 20) for operating and managing a guesthouse in Sham Shui Po without a valid certificate of exemption or a licence.
The court heard that in November last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po. An OLA officer posed as a lodger and successfully rented a room with accommodation facilities inside the guesthouse. A man, who later admitted he was the operator of the unlicensed guesthouse, said that rooms in the premises were rented out on an hourly or daily basis, and the female staff member met by the OLA officers on the date of the investigation was responsible for the daily management of the guesthouse.
According to the OLA's records, the guesthouse did not possess a valid certificate of exemption or a licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance on the day of inspection. The man and the woman were charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Hotel & Guesthouse Accommodation 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/Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Issued at HKT 16:01
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