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A woman was sentenced at Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (February 8) to two months' jail for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The court heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Mong Kok Road in July last year. The investigation team found signboards of the guesthouse on the external wall and main entrance of the building. Inside the premises, investigators found seven rooms with accommodation facilities and met two patrons who admitted renting rooms in the premises.
According to the OLA's records, the premises did not have a valid certificate of exemption or a license on the inspection day. The female defendant, responsible for managing the unlicensed guesthouse, was charged with contravening Section 5(1) of the Hotel and 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 dial the OLA hotline (2881 7498), send e-mail (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/Monday, February 8, 2010
Issued at HKT 18:00
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