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A woman and two men were fined $12,000, $2,000 and $3,000 respectively at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (September 21) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The court heard that in April this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Reclamation Street, Mong Kok. An OLA officer posed as a lodger and successfully rented a room inside the guesthouse on a daily basis. Later during the investigation, officers found 10 rooms in the premises for rental.
According to the OLA's records, the guesthouse did not possess a valid certificate of exemption or a license under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The male manager of the guesthouse was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
In May this year, OLA officers inspected a licensed guesthouse in Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po. During the investigation, OLA officers found that the guesthouse was operated under a name other than the name indicated in the licence. The male operator and female manager of the guesthouse were charged with contravening section 21(3)(c) of the Ordinance.
Moreover, OLA officers, posing as lodgers and led by the above-mentioned woman, successfully rented a room on a daily basis in a premises situated on another floor of the same building. Later during the investigation, officers found four rooms in the premises for rental. According to the OLA's records, the premises did not possess a valid certificate of exemption or a licence under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The woman, being the female manager of the premises, was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that it is a criminal offence to illegally operate or manage a guesthouse or to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse. 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 email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk) or download a report form from the website (www.hadla.gov.hk) to report suspected illegal guesthouses to the OLA.
Ends/Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Issued at HKT 18:23
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