As summer arrived last week, Colorado’s Front Range was seeing a first wave of hailstorms roll in, dropping golf ball-sized to baseball-sized stones on some residential communities, including at Wiggins, east of DIA and further east onto the prairie.

That gives rise to concerns over damage to roofs. In 2017, a single storm resulted in an estimated $2.3 billion in insurance claims in the Western Denver area, including some 100,000 home damage claims and 167,000 auto claims, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Although weather forecasts for the coming week look benign at this point, the Colorado Roofing Association is passing along warnings to homeowners about high-pressure tactics for room repair, from fly-by-night contractors.

Homeowners already report damage

Thornton-based roof repair contractor Mark Dulon, who handles an average of 400 of those cases a year, said calls were already coming into his office from homeowners in Wiggins, Fort Morgan and Evergreen. But he confirms that less reputable operators ply their trade following storms, and that the danger is substantial.

The Arvada-based nonprofit roofing association sees its role as educational, rather than in referring contractors, according to a spokesperson. As storm cells recede from Colorado, it offered suggestions to owners who suspect damage, starting with documenting damage by shooting photos of roofs, gutters, siding, and windows.

Those become more valuable when using a quarter or a ruler in the shot, showing the relative size of any pits made from stones.

However, the spokesperson advised, after making a record of damage, there is time to file a claim and find a contractor and owners are advised not to feel pressure in choosing how to handle the work.

“After a big storm things can get stressful,” the person added, requesting not to be identified. “We tell consumers to slow down and take photos. You have time to file claims.”

The association further advises consumers to work with a contractor with a verified physical office and local references; to check on a contractor’s licensing and insurance; and to check the company’s registration with the Colorado Secretary of State. Detailed proposals should be in writing.

The spokesperson cautioned against high-pressure tactics.

The Denver Gazette reached out to John Cook, identified as an officer with the association, for specifics about past allegations of pressure tactics reported to the association. Cook said he was unable to provide any information at the moment.

Threat is real

But Dulon, who co-owns Thornton-based Sky Manor Roofing, said that the fraud threat from fly-by-night or shady local companies is real.

“Although these storms haven’t been as substantial as storms in the past, they still attract storm chasers,” Dulon told The Denver Gazette. 

“They come in and find a local installer, then get a kickback,” he said. But, he warned, your initial contractor could be nowhere to be found if something happens.

Dulon says the risks to consumers have actually grown in the current era, as insurance companies increase homeowner deductibles, seeking to hold onto customers who are struggling to keep the costs of their policies in check.

With higher deductibles, a consumer needs to monitor how a contractor works with the insurance company, from the earliest estimates through to the end of the job.

“You want your company working with the insurer,” Dulon said, adding that homeowners often fail to understand how cases are paid and that the first job is explaining how those work.