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A woman was convicted and fined $2,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (October 8) for operating a guesthouse in Mong Kok, which was outside the premises indicated in the guesthouse licence.
The court heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection in March. The investigation team found rooms with accommodation facilities outside the licensed business area of the gueshouse in Argyle Street, Mong Kok, and one of the rooms was rented to two patrons on a daily basis. Since the room rented out did not possess a valid certificate or a licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance on the day of inspection, the woman, operator of the guesthouse, was charged with contravening Section 21(3)(b) of the ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that it was a criminal offence to operate a guesthouse outside the premises stated in the guesthouse licence and enforcement action would continue to be taken against illegal guesthouse operations to ensure the safety of lodgers. He appealed to the public to report unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA at 2881 7498.
Ends/Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:30
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