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A woman was fined $3,000 and a man fined $2,500 at the Eastern Magistrates' Court today (December 18) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance (HAGAO).
The court heard that staff of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, found a number of advertisements for short-term rental accommodation in Discovery Bay. The advertisements continued to be posted after warning notes for immediate cessation of unlicensed operation were sent to the operators.
An OLA staff member, posing as a customer, reserved a room at the suspected unlicensed premises in July. A man, who was the keeper of the guesthouse, rented the premises to the staff member after receiving the rental payment.
The woman, who was the operator of the guesthouse, admitted that the premises was rented out on the day of inspection. She also confessed that the premises had been rented out a few times to people that needed to stay in Hong Kong for a while.
According to the OLA's record, the premises did not possess a valid certificate of exemption or a license under HAGAO on the day of inspection. Both the woman and man were charged with contravening Section 5(1) of the ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that it was a criminal offence to operate and manage unlicensed guesthouses and that 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/Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:46
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