The Denver metro area takes two kinds of storm damage that keep insurance adjusters busy: hail from spring and summer thunderstorms, and wind that comes down off the foothills in late fall and winter. If your insurance company has denied, delayed or underpaid a hail or wind claim in Denver, Aurora, Lakewood, Littleton, Arvada, Westminster, Thornton, Centennial or anywhere else in the metro area, Denham Property & Injury Law Firm can help you push back.
Call (859) 900-BART (2278) or contact us online to have your claim reviewed at no cost. Denver-area claims are handled by Chad J. Robinson, a lawyer licensed in Texas, Washington, California and New York who is also admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. We represent homeowners, businesses, churches and associations across the metro area.
Hail in the Metro Area
Hail falls in narrow bands. One storm can bruise every roof in part of Aurora or Centennial and barely touch the next neighborhood over. Insurers use weather reports to argue that damaging hail never reached your address. The details of your storm, at your street, matter more than the citywide forecast.
When a large storm crosses the metro area, claims pour in at once. Adjusters are stretched, inspections get rushed and some estimates are written from a few photos, which is how damage gets missed. For how insurers argue about hail itself, from test squares to cosmetic damage, see our Colorado hail damage insurance lawyer page and our national hail damage insurance claims page.
Wind Damage Along the Foothills
Strong winds pouring down the east side of the mountains are a fact of life along the Front Range. NOAA's record of windstorms in the Boulder area and nearby suburbs shows most happen from November through February. It lists a gust of 115 miles per hour in Arvada on December 30, 2021, and 89 miles per hour in Broomfield earlier that month.
Wind claims bring different arguments than hail claims. Insurers often say shingles came off because they were never sealed or were installed badly, that the damage is old, or that a few missing shingles can be patched. Common metro wind losses include:
- Shingles lifted, creased or torn away, and ridge caps blown off
- Siding, soffit and fascia pulled loose
- Fences flattened and trees or limbs dropped on houses, garages and cars
- Water damage inside after wind opens the roof or breaks a window
The direction of the wind on the storm date, the pattern of the damage and the condition of nearby buildings can show what the wind did. Learn more about wind damage insurance claims.
Permits, Code and the Real Cost of a Denver Roof
Denver requires a permit to replace a roof and for larger roof repairs, and the work must pass a city inspection. Under Denver's roofing rules, old roofing has to come off down to the deck when there are already two or more layers. Requirements like that, along with underlayment, flashing and ventilation details, can add real cost that a quick insurance estimate leaves out. Aurora, Lakewood and other suburbs issue their own permits, and in unincorporated areas such as Highlands Ranch the county does, each under its own adopted codes, so the requirements can differ from place to place.
For a commercial or large multifamily building in Denver over 25,000 square feet, a roof replacement can also bring in the city's Green Buildings Ordinance, which adds requirements such as a cool roof unless an exemption applies. Those requirements belong in the repair estimate from the start. Whether the policy pays for code-driven work depends on its law and ordinance coverage, which is listed on your declarations page.
HOAs, Condos and Townhomes
Much of the metro area's housing sits inside associations. When hail or wind damages a townhome or condominium community, the association's master policy usually covers the roofs and exteriors, while each owner's own policy covers the inside of the unit and may help with an assessment from the association. Disputes come up over which policy pays, how a large deductible is shared, and whether the insurer will replace roofs on every building or only some. We represent associations in these claims and review claims for individual owners. Business and church property claims are covered on our commercial property damage page.
After a Big Storm: Door-Knockers and Contracts
After a major metro hailstorm, roofing crews, some from out of state, go door to door within days. Colorado law does not allow a roofer to pay or waive your deductible, and if the insurer denies the claim, it lets you cancel a roofing contract by written notice to the roofer within 72 hours of receiving that denial in writing. Our Colorado hail page explains those rules. Before you sign anything, check that the contract is in writing, lists the roofer's physical address and spells out what the price includes.
How We Work With Denver-Area Clients
We review hail and wind claims anywhere in the Denver metro area, inside the city and in the surrounding suburbs. We serve Colorado clients statewide. For wildfire, fire, water and statewide claims, see our Colorado property insurance claim lawyers page and our fire damage insurance claims page.
Denver Hail and Wind Claim Questions
My neighbors got new roofs, but my claim was denied. Does that matter?
It can. Approvals on your street do not decide your claim, but they help show the storm was strong enough to damage roofs like yours. Write down the addresses and dates and take photos of the work. Then read about denied insurance claims and call us.
The insurer approved one or two slopes but not the whole roof. What now?
Partial approvals are common in hail claims. The question is whether a partial repair can be done to code and still match the rest of the roof. If it cannot, the payment may be too low. See underpaid insurance claims.
Talk With Us About Your Denver Claim
If hail or wind damaged your Denver-area property and the insurer is not paying what the policy owes, call (859) 900-BART (2278) or contact us online. Our fee is a share of what we recover, so you pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.