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A man and two women were convicted at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (November 4) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The court heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of Home Affairs Department inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Portland Street, Mong Kok, in March. The investigation team found signboards of the guesthouse at the entrance of the building. Inside the premises, investigators found eight rooms with accommodation facilities and met a patron who admitted renting a room there.
The male defendant, being the operator of the guesthouse, admitted that rooms were rented out on an hourly basis while the female defendant was responsible for the daily management of the guesthouse. According to OLA's record, the premises did not have a valid certificate of exemption or a licence on the inspection day. The two were charged with contravening Section 5 (1) of the ordinance. The male operator was fined $6,000, while the female manager was fined $3,000.
In another inspection of a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Dundas Street, Mong Kok, in April, an OLA officer posed as a lodger and rented a room with accommodation facilities on a daily basis. A woman subsequently admitted managing the unlicensed guesthouse.
According to OLA's record, the premises did not possess a valid certificate or a licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance on the day of inspection. The female manager was charged with contravening Section 5(1) of the ordinance, and fined $5,000.
A department spokesman said 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 dial the OLA hotline (2881 7498), send an email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk) or download a report form from the website (www.hadla.gov.hk), to report any suspected unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA.
Ends/Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Issued at HKT 17:47
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