Key numbers
About 39.4% of Colorado Springs's housing units (83,375 of 211,353) were built in 1979 or earlier, the Census bin closest to the 1978 federal lead-paint ban (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024).
| 66.2% | 66.2% of occupied housing units in El Paso County were owner-occupied in 2020-2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 |
|---|
An honest Colorado Springs roofer will refuse to pay, waive or rebate your insurance deductible, refuse to send your insurer an inflated invoice, refuse to pose as a public adjuster, refuse to ask you to pull a homeowner permit for their work, refuse to take your money without the contract terms Colorado law requires, and refuse to start before the permit is issued. The rule underneath all of them is simple: a roofer who will lie to your insurance company for you has shown you that they will lie, and the next person they lie to may be you.
The seven lines
| An honest roofer will not | The rule behind it |
|---|---|
| Pay, waive, rebate or “absorb” your deductible | C.R.S. 6-22-105 bars advertising or promising it |
| Bill your insurer for work, material or a price you did not get | That is insurance fraud |
| Claim to be or act as your public adjuster | C.R.S. 6-22-105(3); a contractor under contract may discuss the repair scope |
| Ask you to pull a homeowner permit for their crew | PPRBD: homeowner permits are only for owners doing their own work |
| Take a deposit without a written contract that meets the statute | C.R.S. 6-22-103 lists what it must contain |
| Spend your deposit before materials arrive or most work is done | C.R.S. 6-22-103(2): payments are held in trust |
| Stock materials or start work before the permit is issued | PPRBD: triple permit fee and a stop work order |
Why the deductible is the line that matters most
The deductible is your share of the loss under your policy. When a roofer “covers” it, the money has to come from somewhere, and usually it comes from an invoice that tells the insurer the job cost more than it did. Colorado’s law has teeth on both sides: under C.R.S. 6-22-105, an insurer does not have to consider a violating contractor’s estimate, and the owner or the insurer can sue the contractor. Our article on Colorado’s deductible law explains the history, and insurance fraud explains what fraud looks like on a roof claim.
When we first wrote this article in 2016, roughly one in three prospective customers in Colorado Springs asked us some version of “what about my deductible?” The answer has not changed: you pay it, by check or card, and we install the best roof the claim and your budget allow.
Why it matters to you, not just the insurer
- Trust runs one way. A company that writes false invoices as routine will not suddenly become careful with your scope, your change orders or your warranty registration.
- Corners have to be cut somewhere. If the roofer gives up the deductible, the money comes out of materials, labor or the parts of the roof you cannot see.
- Your claim is on the line. A fraudulent invoice can put the whole claim, and your relationship with your insurer, at risk.
- Everyone else pays. Fraud raises the cost of coverage for every homeowner in a hail-prone city like ours.
What an honest roofer will do instead
- Give you a written contract with the 72-hour cancellation right and the deductible statement Colorado requires.
- Pull the permit in the company’s name and call in the inspection.
- Document the damage with photos and make sure nothing gets missed in the scope, while the claim stays yours.
- Show you the final invoice that goes to your insurer.
- Price any upgrade you choose separately from the claim, and offer financing for it if that helps.
To check a roofer’s license and insurance, read do Colorado Springs roofers need a license and insurance?. To research a roofer’s record, see where to check a roofer’s reputation. Good ethics show up in everyday service too; see the customer care you should expect. If the inspection itself worries you, see what a HAAG-trained inspector checks.
Work with a roofer that holds the line
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, and an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor with 650+ Google reviews. We do not pay deductibles, and we put that in writing. Call our Colorado Springs office at (719) 488-2800 or book a free Colorado Springs roof inspection.
Sources: C.R.S. 6-22-103, 6-22-104 and 6-22-105; Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, Do You Have Roof Damage From a Storm? and Reroof Guidelines, rev. 03/05/2024.
