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A woman was fined $3,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (March 7) for managing a guesthouse in Mong Kok without a certificate of exemption or a valid licence.
The court heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, received a complaint on a suspected unlicensed guesthouse operation at premises in Cedar Street, Mong Kok, earlier last year. The officers conducted an inspection and issued a warning letter to the guesthouse operator for immediate cessation of its operation.
The investigation team inspected the guesthouse again in October last year and found that eight guestrooms equipped with sleeping and shower facilities were available for rent at hourly or daily basis.
The woman said she was the nightshift keeper of the guesthouse and she knew that the premises was an unlicensed guesthouse. The woman was subsequently charged with contravening Section 5 of the Hotel and 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 them to ensure the safety of lodgers. He also appealed to the public to report unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA on 2881 7498.
Ends/Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:17
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