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A woman was fined $3,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (June 5) for managing an unlicensed guesthouse in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The courts heard that in November last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a licensed guesthouse in Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. OLA officers, posing as lodgers, successfully rented a room on a daily basis in premises other than the premises indicated in the licence.
According to the OLA's records, the room did not have a valid certificate of exemption or a licence on the inspection day. The female operator was charged with managing a guesthouse other than the premises indicated in the licence, thereby contravening Section 21(3)(b) of the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing a guesthouse other than the premises indicated in the licence is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $100,000 and two years' imprisonment.
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/Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:47
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