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A woman was fined $4,500 in total at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (November 27) for operating an unlicensed guesthouse in Causeway Bay.
The courts heard that in May and June this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, posed as lodgers and successfully rented rooms in the guesthouse on Paterson Street, Causeway Bay, on a daily basis.
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 both days of inspection. The female operator of the guesthouse was 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 by fax (fax number: 2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the website (www.hadla.gov.hk).
Ends/Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:40
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