Plans to force millions of private landlords to carry out immigration checks on tenants to be watered down A source said: "It is just making sure implementation is done in a commonsense way. We want to do it in a way that does not inflict red tape on millions of people. What we want to avoid is disproportionate regulations on the private rented sector. If you are British we don't want a bureaucratic check, the cost of which is passed onto the landlord and then the tenants. It is question of getting the balance right and targeting the regulations at high risk areas. Officials in Mr Pickles" department are now working on applying the change only in areas where immigrants are known to live in "high occupation" houses, such as in places like Ealing and Hounslow. Further details are expected when the Immigration Bill is published later this year. The source said: "It is a question of getting the balance right and targeting the regulations at high risk areas and not to over-regulate the whole market." Part of the problem has been that the Bill was briefed out before the detail was hammered out by the Communities department, which is in charge of the policy. One weekend report suggested that when Mr Pickles told David Cameron that the policy had to be scaled back to avoid imposing an unfair administrative burden, the Prime Minister turned "puce." However a source said: "There is not some big spat or row. There are discussions about detail and that is what Government does. A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said: "The government will avoid burdening the private rented sector with excessive red tape and will not adversely affect UK nationals looking to rent." Experts had said that the original plans would push up the cost of property investment, would place a further burden on landlords and could dissuade investors from buy-to-let. David Whittaker of Mortgages for Business, a specialist buy-to-let mortgage broker, said this month they would have forced landlords "to check the validity of passports and work visas remains to be seen. Perhaps they will have to ask the UK Border Agency for verification.