Hail or wind damaged your roof, and the insurer called it cosmetic, approved a few slopes, put the damage under your deductible or held back depreciation. We help Colorado homeowners, HOAs and building owners when a roof or hail claim is denied or underpaid, working with a Colorado-licensed attorney of counsel. Free claim review.
No fee unless we win: if there is no recovery you owe no attorney fee, but you may be responsible for costs, and for the other side's attorney fees if a court orders it.
Why roof claims stall
Hail is Colorado's signature peril. The Division of Insurance says it accounts for about half of what Front Range and Eastern Plains homeowners pay in premium, and the season runs from spring into late summer. In 2026 alone, storms dropped hail across the Denver metro on June 1 and hail up to about four inches near Wiggins and Sterling on June 23. Claims from 2024 and 2025 are still being fought. After a big storm, adjusters move fast, damage gets called cosmetic, and the estimate covers a slope or two.
You don't have to accept the first estimate. Colorado law says an insurer may not unreasonably delay or deny payment of a covered claim, and a policyholder whose covered benefits were unreasonably delayed or denied may sue for two times the covered benefit plus attorney fees. We document the roof with independent inspections and build the case around where the estimate falls short.
"Within two weeks of hiring them, the adjuster came back out. Within two months, my claim was paid in full, about 4× what the carrier originally offered."— Marcus T. · Wind Claim
Roof claims we handle
Whether your hail claim was denied, called cosmetic, cut to a repair or stuck in review, we can help.
Hail bruises shingles, cracks tiles and dents metal roofing, siding, gutters, vents and the outdoor HVAC unit — damage that's easy to miss from a ladder at the eaves. We document every slope and elevation so the estimate reflects what the storm actually did.
Many Colorado policies now exclude cosmetic hail damage, and carriers use engineering reports to argue that bruised or cracked shingles haven't lost function. We test those reports against the policy wording, the roof itself and an independent inspection.
"Old roof" is a common reason claims get cut, but age and hail damage aren't the same thing. We tie the damage to the storm date with weather data, photos and an inspection, and challenge denials that skip that work.
Carriers often price a repair, or a few slopes, when the roof needs replacing. If replacement shingles can't reasonably match, a partial repair can leave the roof looking patched. Whether matching is owed turns on your policy wording and the facts.
Replacement-cost policies often pay actual cash value first and hold back depreciation until the roof is replaced. Some Colorado policies add a roof payment schedule that pays a reduced percentage based on age. We check the depreciation math and the deadline to claim the rest.
Water that came in through hail or wind damage ruins ceilings, insulation and drywall, and Colorado's high winds lift and tear shingles across whole slopes. We document the roof opening and the interior damage together so neither gets left out.
Other Colorado claims we handle
Colorado roof claim guide
Every roof claim turns on its own policy and facts, so treat this as general information, not legal advice.
Most Colorado hail claims run the same way: you report the damage, an adjuster inspects, the insurer writes an estimate and pays actual cash value minus your deductible, you replace or repair the roof, and then you claim the held-back depreciation. Keep the storm date, dated photos & your contractor's estimate at every step. Absent a reasonable dispute, Division of Insurance Regulation 5-1-14 generally requires a decision within 60 days of a valid and complete claim.
The usual moves: calling hail dents cosmetic, relying on an engineering report that says the shingles still function, blaming wear and tear or an earlier storm, and approving only the slopes facing the storm. Each one is a judgment about evidence, and each can be tested with an independent inspection and the policy's exact wording.
On a replacement-cost policy, the first check is often actual cash value — replacement cost minus depreciation. The rest is usually paid after the roof is replaced, if you claim it within the time the policy allows. Keep the contract and invoices, track that deadline, and have the depreciation figure checked.
Many Colorado policies carry a wind and hail deductible figured as a percentage of the dwelling limit — 2% of a $500,000 limit is $10,000. Some add a roof payment schedule that pays only part of a roof's cost based on its age. Read the declarations page and endorsements, and question an estimate that seems built to land under the deductible.
Colorado law says an insurer may not unreasonably delay or deny payment of a covered claim to its own policyholder. A policyholder whose covered benefits were unreasonably delayed or denied may sue for two times the covered benefit, plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs (C.R.S. §§ 10-3-1115, 10-3-1116). It is a remedy the law allows, not a promised result.
Some Colorado policies require hail and wind damage to be reported within a set time — often 365 days from the storm — so check your policy's conditions section. Separately, Colorado generally allows three years to sue for breach of an insurance contract, and a homeowner's policy cannot shorten that period. Bad-faith claims generally carry two years, and HOA and commercial policies can carry shorter suit clauses.
A roofer's photos and estimate are valuable evidence, but a roofer works for the repair, not your coverage dispute. Colorado licenses public adjusters, who negotiate claims for a percentage fee. A lawyer can also advise you on coverage, pursue the delay-and-denial statute and take the dispute to court.
Hail claims on HOA, condo, multifamily, church and commercial roofs are often the largest in the state, and they run on commercial policies with their own deductibles, reporting rules and sometimes much shorter suit clauses. Unit owners in a common interest community can also be affected by the association's claim. Get these reviewed early.
Roof claim checklist
Check these before you sign a release or book a repair.
Stay off the roof. From the ground, photograph each slope you can see, plus gutters, downspouts, vents, siding, window screens, the outdoor HVAC unit and any hailstones next to a coin for scale. Keep the storm date, every letter from the insurer and your contractor's estimate.
Which slopes did you inspect? Why is this cosmetic, and which policy provision says so? Why a repair, not a replacement? Which deductible applies, and how was it calculated? How much depreciation was held back, and what is the deadline to claim it?
Get your own inspection if the estimate covers only a few slopes, calls fresh hail damage cosmetic or wear and tear, or lands just under the deductible. Call a lawyer before you sign a release, if the claim was denied for late notice, or if the insurer has stopped responding.
Why Colorado homeowners call us
We never represent insurance companies.
So there’s no conflict when we tell an adjuster the roof needs replacing.
We never work for carriers, so when we dispute a cosmetic or wear-and-tear denial, the insurer knows we have no relationships to protect on the other side.
We work on contingency — no fee unless we win, with no retainer or hourly bill. If there is no recovery you owe no attorney fee, but you may be responsible for costs, and for the other side's attorney fees if a court orders it. We explain fees and costs in writing first.
Colorado roof claims are handled with Steven Flaxman, Of Counsel to Property People Law and a Colorado-licensed attorney (Colorado Attorney Registration No. 52294). We consult by phone and video statewide — the Denver metro, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Greeley, Pueblo and the Eastern Plains.
Our process
We handle the adjuster, the inspections, and the paperwork.
Free and confidential. Send the declarations page, the adjuster's estimate or denial letter, any engineering report, and your roof photos. We'll tell you plainly whether the decision looks worth disputing.
Independent roofers and engineers inspect every slope, document what the carrier missed or called cosmetic, and price a proper repair or replacement.
We send a documented demand showing what the roof claim is worth and where the estimate falls short. Many disputes resolve here, and we explain appraisal if it fits.
If the carrier still won't pay what the policy owes, we can file suit in Colorado state or federal court.
Past results
Every claim is different. These are recoveries our attorneys obtained for policyholders after a lowball offer or wrongful denial.
These results were obtained for clients in other states, not in Colorado. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is evaluated on its specific facts and policy terms.
What clients say
"I was about to accept $11,000 from my carrier for a roof I'd been quoted $38,000 to replace. Property People Law got me $46,500 and handled the whole thing. I literally never spoke to the adjuster again."
"They were calm, clear, and didn't talk down to me. Within a day I knew what my options were. Six months later my house was actually fixed, not patched."
These client experiences come from clients in other states, not in Colorado, and describe individual results. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; every claim turns on its own facts.
Roof & hail claim questions
Usually, yes. Most Colorado homeowners policies cover sudden hail and wind damage to the roof. Disputes tend to be about how much is owed: whether the damage is cosmetic, whether the roof needs a repair or a replacement, which deductible applies and how much depreciation is held back.
It depends on how far the damage runs, whether a proper repair is possible and your policy. If hail hit every slope, or a repair can't be done without damaging the rest of the roof, a replacement may be owed. An independent inspection is the best evidence either way.
Read the policy first: some carry a cosmetic-damage exclusion and many don't. If yours does, the question is whether the hail damaged how the roof works — cracked or bruised shingles, lost granules, broken seals or water entry. Ask for the engineering report behind the decision and get your own inspection.
Ask for the inspection report and photos behind it, and compare them with the storm date, local weather reports and any photos of the roof before the storm. Fresh hail bruises and creased shingles aren't explained by age, and a blanket wear-and-tear denial is worth challenging.
Sometimes, but check the math. Many Colorado policies use a percentage wind and hail deductible, so the estimate has to be complete before it is compared with the deductible. Missed slopes, siding, gutters, the HVAC unit and code items all count. An estimate that lands just under the deductible deserves a second look.
Check your policy's loss settlement section. It usually requires you to replace the roof and claim the held-back depreciation within a set time. Send the contract and final invoice, and keep copies. If the insurer won't release it, or the depreciation figure looks inflated, have it reviewed.
It depends mainly on your policy wording, such as "like kind and quality," and on facts like whether matching shingles are still made. When new shingles can't reasonably match, many policyholders argue that a uniform roof is part of restoring the property. Insurers often resist, so the evidence matters.
Not necessarily. Check exactly what the clause requires and when it starts. Hail damage often isn't visible from the ground, and the facts — when you found the damage, when you reported it and what the insurer did with the report — matter. Have a late-notice denial reviewed before you accept it.
Colorado Division of Insurance Regulation 5-1-14 generally requires an insurer to pay or deny a valid and complete claim within 60 days of receiving it, unless there is a reasonable dispute about whether or how much it owes. An insurer also may not unreasonably delay payment of a covered benefit.
Colorado generally allows three years to sue for breach of an insurance contract, and a homeowner's policy cannot shorten that period. A bad-faith claim generally carries a two-year deadline. HOA and commercial policies can contain shorter suit clauses. Deadlines can run from the date of the storm, so talk to a lawyer well before any deadline.
Yes. We represent HOAs, condo associations, multifamily owners, churches and businesses with hail and wind roof claims across Colorado. These claims run on commercial policies with their own deductibles and suit clauses, so they should be reviewed early.
A roofer can document the damage and price the repair, which is valuable evidence. Colorado licenses public adjusters, who negotiate claims for a percentage fee. A lawyer can also advise you on coverage, pursue the delay-and-denial statute and take the dispute to court — usually the better fit once a claim has been denied.
We work on contingency — no fee unless we win, and no retainer or hourly bills. If there is no recovery you owe no attorney fee, but you may be responsible for costs, and for the other side's attorney fees if a court orders it. We explain fees and costs in writing before you sign anything, and the first review is free.
Free roof claim review
Roof insurance claim denied or underpaid? Send us the estimate or denial letter. It is reviewed with a Colorado-licensed attorney, and we'll tell you straight whether it's worth disputing. Free, confidential, no obligation. We don't handle car or auto accident claims.
