Part 1: Leasehold houses Section 18: Financial penalties
Section 18 provides details of the financial penalties that an enforcement authority may impose for breaches the ban. Specifically, it establishes that breaches are subject to fines of between £500 and £30,000. It also details which breaches are standalone or can be treated collectively by the enforcement authority.
	Subsection (1) sets out that an enforcement authority may impose a financial penalty on a person if the authority is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the person has breached the ban.
	Subsection (2) details that an enforcement authority may impose a financial penalty of between £500 and £30,000.
	Subsection (3) states that entering into an agreement to grant or assign a lease in breach of Section (Ban on grant or assignment of certain long residential leases of houses) or entering into an agreement to grant a lease in breach of Section (Permitted leases: transaction warning conditions) are to be treated as a single breach.
	Subsection (4) clarifies that multiple breaches of the marketing requirements in relation to the same lease are to be treated as one breach.
	However, in relation to all other breaches, subsection (5) sets out that where the same person has committed the same breach in relation to two more leases, or has committed different breaches in relation to the same lease, these are to be regarded as separate breaches. An enforcement authority may then wish to impose a separate penalty for each breach, or may wish to impose a single penalty of an amount equal to the total of the amount of the penalties that could have been separately imposed.
	Subsection (6) confirms that the Secretary of State may make regulations to vary the minimum (£500) and maximum (£30,000) penalties to reflect a change in the value of money. Subsection (7) makes it clear that such regulations are subject to the negative procedure.
	Subsection (8) signposts to Part A1 of the Schedule, which contains further provisions about financial penalties under this Section.