Expert roofing advice from Nottingham's trusted local roofers. Based on 20+ years of hands-on experience across every housing type in the city.
The galvanised coating on roof tile nails wears through where it contacts the tile. Moisture reaches the steel, corrosion begins, the nail weakens, tiles slip free. Progressive and irreversible once started.
Post-war estates built 1950s-1970s all used the same galvanised nail specification with a 50-year design life. On exposed estates like Killisick, Bestwood and Clifton, freeze-thaw cycling accelerates corrosion. Thousands of properties are in the failure window simultaneously.
Key Fact: BS 5534:2014+A2:2018 requires stainless steel or copper fixings for all re-roofing work. Galvanised steel nails are no longer compliant as primary fixings due to the proven corrosion failure pattern on 1950s-1970s housing stock. Source: British Standards Institution.
Tiles slipped out of alignment. Tiles rattling in wind. Nail fragments in gutters. Daylight through tile laps in the loft. If you can lift a tile by hand without resistance, the nail has failed. Widespread looseness means nail sickness.
Under 20% affected: re-nail that section with stainless steel, £400-£1,200. Over 50% affected: full strip and re-tile, £4,500-£8,000. The re-tile includes new membrane, battens and stainless steel nails — a genuinely new roof.
Clifton (1950s-60s), Bilborough (1950s-60s), Bestwood (1950s-60s), Bulwell Hall (1960s), Killisick Arnold (1960s), Wilsthorpe Long Eaton (1950s-60s), Hickings Lane Stapleford (1960s), St Ann's (1970s), Sellors Hill Ruddington (1960s). All between 1950-1975 — check your property if it is on any of these.
Annual inspection catches nail sickness early when section repair is still economical. Waiting until tiles are falling off means full replacement is the only option. A {P}150 inspection saves thousands in replacement costs by catching the problem early.
If this guide has raised questions about your own roof, call 0115 670 1242 for free, honest advice. We have been helping Nottingham homeowners since 2005 and there is very little we have not seen. Your situation is not unusual, and there is almost certainly a practical, affordable solution.
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Last reviewed: 2026-07-20 by Nottingham Roofing Experts
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