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A man was fined $2,500 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (November 27) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The courts heard that in May this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in a guesthouse in Ferry Street, Mong Kok, on a daily basis.
According to the OLA's records, the guesthouse did not possess a valid certificate of exemption or a licence under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The male manager of the guesthouse was 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 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, November 27, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:59
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