Court convicts 23 SDU landlords for contravening relevant statutory requirements

One of the landlords committed 20 offences and was fined $22,400.

Twenty-three landlords of subdivided units (SDUs) pleaded guilty and were fined a total of $106,400 by the Eastern Magistrates' Courts for contravening the Landlord and Tenant Ordinance.

The offences of these 23 landlords include failing to submit a Notice of Tenancy within 60 days after the term of the regulated tenancy commenced, and requesting the tenant to pay money other than the types permitted under the ordinance (including requiring the tenant to pay an amount of rent for the second-term tenancy exceeding the maximum amount of rent permitted under the ordinance). One of the landlords committed 20 offences and was fined $22,400.

The Rating and Valuation Department (RVD) earlier discovered that the landlords failed to comply with the relevant requirements under the ordinance. An in-depth investigation and evidence collection led to the prosecution of the landlords.

According to the RVD, since the ordinance came into force, the department has prosecuted a total of 1,180 cases to date. Among the 829 cases dealt with by the court, all were successfully convicted. These cases involved a total of 719 SDU landlords with fines ranging from $400 to $41,600, amounting to $2.21m. Around 351 cases are still pending a hearing.