************************************************
A company was fined $6,000 at Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (December 8) for operating an unlicensed guesthouse in Yau Ma Tei. The male manager of the unlicensed guesthouse was fined $3,000.
The court heard that in August this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei. The OLA officers posed as lodgers and rented a room inside the guesthouse on a daily basis. Later during the investigation, officers found five rooms in the premises for rental.
According to the OLA's records, the guesthouse did not possess a valid certificate of exemption or a license under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance on the day of inspection. The operating company and the male manager were 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 dial the OLA hotline (2881 7498), send e-mail (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk) or download a report form from the website www.hadla.gov.hk, to report any suspected unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA.
Ends/Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Issued at HKT 16:31
NNNN
