Property owner fined over $60,000 for not complying with removal order
A property owner was convicted and fined $61,000 at the Fanling Magistrates' Courts this month for failing to comply with a removal order issued under the Buildings Ordinance (Cap 123) (BO).
The order involved a 7-metre-long unauthorised steel staircase on the flat roof of a domestic flat, which gave access to the roof of the flat, and illegal removal of part of the parapet wall on the roof in a building at Fo Chun Road, Tai Po.
As the above unauthorised building works (UBWs) were carried out without prior approval from the Buildings Department (BD), contravening the BO, a removal order was served on the owner under section 24(1) of the BO.
Failing to comply with the order, the owner was prosecuted by the BD, and was convicted and fined on January 7.
"UBWs may adversely affect the structure and fire safety of a building, leading to serious consequences. Owners should seek professional advice before carrying out any building works in their premises," a spokesman for the BD said today (January 22).
Pursuant to section 40(1BA) of the BO, any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with an order served on him under section 24(1) of the BO commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for one year, as well as a further fine of $20,000 for each day that the offence has continued.
Ends/Wednesday, January 22, 2020