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Three men and two women were charged with contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (April 13). One man was sentenced to two months' imprisonment, suspended for 24 months. The others were fined $12,000 to $14,000.
The courts heard that in August and September last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected five suspected unlicensed guesthouses on Shanghai Street, Nathan Road, Pitt Street, Chatham Road South and Granville Road in Kowloon. The OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented rooms in these guesthouses on a daily basis.
According to the OLA's record, these guesthouses did not possess licences under the Ordinance on the days of inspection. The men and women responsible for managing and operating the premises were charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years' imprisonment.
He appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".
Ends/Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Issued at HKT 17:40
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