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Three men and two women were fined $2,500 to $8,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (September 12) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The courts heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected five suspected unlicensed guesthouses on Argyle Street, Sai Yeung Choi Street, Lai Chi Kok Road and Nathan Road in February and March this year. During the investigations, OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented rooms in the five guesthouses on a daily basis.
According to the OLA's records, the five guesthouses did not possess valid certificates of exemption or licences under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The three men and two women, being the operators or managers of the premises, were charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that it is a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse. Any person who is convicted of operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is liable to imprisonment. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a $200,000 fine and imprisonment for two years.
He appealed to the public to report suspected illegal guesthouses to the OLA through the OLA hotline (2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk) or fax (fax number: 2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the website (www.hadla.gov.hk).
Ends/Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:16
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