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Two women were fined $2,000 and $15,500 at Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (January 23) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance (the Ordinance).
The courts heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Dundas Street, Mong Kok in May last year. The OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in the guesthouse 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 Ordinance on the day of inspection. Therefore the woman responsible for managing the premises was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
Furthermore, OLA officers inspected a licensed guesthouse on Nathan Road, Mong Kok, in the same month. During the investigation, they found that the actual layout of the premises deviated from the registered drawing, the exit was obstructed and locked and the exit sign was covered. Furthermore, the premises underwent alteration, addition or improvement works without the written permission of the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Authority. Conditions 3, 9, 11 and 17 of the licence were breached. The woman, being the licence holder, was charged with contravening section 21(4) 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, January 23, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:01
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