Manager of unlicensed Mong Kok guesthouse slapped with fine

A man was fined $3,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts for managing an unlicensed guesthouse in Mong
Kok.

Officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority of the Home Affairs Department inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Mong Kok Road, Mong Kok. OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully  rented a room inside the guesthouse on a daily basis. Later during the investigation, officers found seven rooms in the premises for rental.

According to the OLA's records, the guesthouse did not possess a valid certificate of exemption or a licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance on the day of inspection. The male manager of the guesthouse was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.