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A man was fined $6,000 at Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (November 26) for operating a guesthouse in Mong Kok without a valid certificate of exemption or a licence.
The court heard that in May this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Nathan Road, Mong Kok. They found signboards of the guesthouse being displayed at the entrance of the building and the premises.
An OLA officer posed as a lodger and rented a room on a daily basis. Subsequently OLA officers found 13 guestrooms inside the unit, all consisting of sleeping accommodation, were for rent. The man was responsible for operating the premises.
According to OLA's record, the guesthouse did not possess a valid certificate or a licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance on the day of inspection. The man was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Hotel & Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that it was a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse 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, November 26, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:01
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