Buying or selling a Colorado home: what to know about the roof

The roof is one of the most expensive parts of a house, and in Colorado it's often the part with the most questions attached. How old is it? Has it had a hail claim? Will an insurer write a new policy on it? Can the warranty move to the next owner?

This guide walks through what each side can find out, and when. It explains forms and deadlines in plain English, but it isn't legal or insurance advice. Your agent, your insurer and, for anything unusual, a real estate attorney are the people to ask about your deal.

What the seller's disclosure asks about the roof

Most Colorado home sales use forms approved by the Colorado Real Estate Commission. The current Seller's Property Disclosure (Residential), form SPD19, was adopted August 5, 2025 and became mandatory January 1, 2026. Its roof section asks the seller to:

• Give the roof's age and material in the comments.
• Say whether the roof is under warranty, when that warranty expires, and whether it's transferable.
• Note any roof work done under the current warranty, and when.
• Flag any roof leak, roof damage, skylight damage, gutter or downspout damage, or other roof problems that have ever existed.

Other parts of the form matter for the roof too. One item asks about damage from hail, wind, fire, flood or other casualty. Another asks about any property insurance claim submitted, whether or not it was paid. The form also asks about written roofing reports and about work done with or without a building permit.

For buyers, that means "Unknown" or a blank is an honest answer from a seller who doesn't know. It's a reason to look further, not proof that nothing is wrong.

What a home inspection does and doesn't cover

A general home inspection includes the roof, but not as deeply as many buyers assume. The two main national standards set the floor:

• InterNACHI: the inspector must look at the roof covering, gutters, downspouts, flashing and penetrations, but may do it from the ground or the eaves. They aren't required to walk the roof, predict how long it will last, or certify it.
• ASHI: the inspector must inspect the roofing and describe how they did it. General limits excuse them from anything dangerous or likely to cause damage, so walking the roof is their call.

Steep, wet, snowy, tile and slate roofs often get viewed from a ladder, binoculars or a drone. A general inspector also isn't there to judge whether hail damage would be covered by insurance. If the report says the roof is "near the end of its service life" or shows "possible hail impacts," that's a cue to get a roofer's opinion before your objection deadline.

Roof inspections and roof certifications

A buyer can hire a roofer or a roof inspection company to look at the roof on its own. That visit can include walking the roof, checking the attic for stains and estimating remaining life. Ask what they'll check and get photos of anything they report. Our guide to how roof inspections work compares the different kinds.

A roof certification is a roofing professional's written statement of the roof's condition and expected remaining life, usually issued after any needed repairs are made. A trade group that runs its own certification program says terms usually run two to five years. Some sellers order one to reassure buyers, and some buyers or lenders ask for one.

A certification is a professional opinion, not a guarantee, unless it comes with a leak warranty. We didn't find a Colorado statute or state agency rule that defines or requires one, as of October 2026. Before relying on one, ask who issued it, what it promises, whether it transfers to you, and what happens if the roof leaks next spring.

The paperwork worth asking for

A roof with a paper trail is easier to buy, insure and sell. Ask the seller for whatever exists:

• Installation date and material. The contract, final invoice or a shingle wrapper names the product, which tells you whether it's Class 4. Our roof age guide covers how to find the date when nobody knows it.
• The permit and final inspection. Denver, Aurora, Colorado Springs and Fort Collins all require a permit for a reroof, and the building department keeps the record. The disclosure form asks about work done without a permit.
• The warranty documents, including any registration certificate for an enhanced system warranty.
• Repair invoices and insurance claim paperwork for any hail or wind claim, including whether the roof was actually replaced after a payout.
• A CLUE report, described below.

Sellers can pull this together ahead of time in a roof file. It answers most of a buyer's roof questions before they're asked. The free Roof Report also shows the hail reported near the address since 2010 and the local roofing rules.

Insurance: check it early

In Colorado the roof can decide whether a buyer can get a policy, and what that policy pays after hail. Get a quote on the specific house early, well before your contract's insurance deadline.

Roof age and the policy

Insurers ask about roof age and material when they write a new policy. An industry trade magazine, Rough Notes, described the common approaches in January 2026:

• Actual cash value roof endorsements. Wind and hail damage to the roof surface is paid at actual cash value, meaning depreciated value, instead of replacement cost. The article says insurers often add this to new policies when a roof is too old to qualify for replacement cost.
• Roof payment schedules. Some policies pay a percentage of a roof loss based on the roof's age and material.
• The endorsement can stick. The article notes an ACV roof endorsement can stay on the policy after the roof is replaced, until someone asks to remove it.

So ask the agent quoting you three things in writing. Is the roof covered at replacement cost or actual cash value? Is there a roof payment schedule? What's the wind and hail deductible? Then read the declarations page and endorsements when the policy arrives. Our insurance guide explains ACV, replacement cost and percentage deductibles.

CLUE reports

A CLUE report (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) lists insurance claims filed on a property, such as the date, type of loss and amount paid. Insurers use it when they price and write policies. A past hail or water claim on the house can show up on the buyer's quote.

Pennsylvania's Insurance Department says only the owner can order the property's report, and InterNACHI says insurers and lenders for the property can too. A buyer can't order it directly, so ask the seller to order it and share it. The Pennsylvania department says owners can get one free report a year under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681j). Coverage periods cited range from five to seven years of claims.

Colorado contract deadlines that touch the roof

The Commission's standard residential contract, Contract to Buy and Sell Real Estate (Residential), form CBS1 (on the Division of Real Estate forms page), has a dates and deadlines table. The dates are filled in for each deal, so read your own contract. These are the ones that usually matter for the roof, as of the version mandatory since January 1, 2026:

The practical lesson is timing. A roofer's opinion and an insurance quote both need to land before those dates, not after. If the inspection is on a Friday and the objection is due Monday, line up the roofer before the inspection.

Negotiating roof problems

When an inspection turns up a roof issue, buyers usually ask for one of three things. The contract's inspection objection process is where that request goes, in writing, usually on the Commission's Inspection Objection Notice. These are common approaches, not rules:

• A repair by the seller. Good for a specific, contained problem like a cracked pipe boot or a few missing shingles. Ask for the roofer's invoice and photos, and for the repair to be done by a licensed contractor where your town licenses roofers.
• A credit at closing. Common when the roof needs replacing. It lets the buyer choose the material and the roofer, and avoids a rushed job before closing. Lenders can limit seller credits, so ask your loan officer early.
• A lower price. Similar to a credit, but it changes the loan amount instead of cash at closing.

Base any number on real quotes, not a guess. Two written quotes that list the number of roofing squares make a stronger case than a single figure. Our roof cost guide explains what drives the price, and the material chooser can help a buyer think about what they'd put on next.

Hail damage, claims and the sale

Hail claims and home sales overlap all the time in Colorado, and this is where the questions get specific to each policy and each deal.

Damage before you go under contract

If the seller knows about hail damage, the disclosure form asks about it. If the seller had a claim and was paid but didn't replace the roof, that's worth asking about directly. Unrepaired damage can affect whether a buyer can get a policy at all. Ask the agent quoting you how they'd treat roof damage that happened before your policy starts.

Damage between contract and closing

Section 18.1 of the standard contract covers damage to the property before closing. If the damage is not more than 10% of the purchase price and insurance will pay, the seller must use reasonable efforts to repair it. The buyer may terminate if repairs aren't done by closing or the damage is larger. A buyer who goes ahead gets a credit for the insurance money the seller received plus the deductible. If the money hasn't arrived, the parties can extend closing, assign the proceeds to the buyer if the insurer and lender accept, or escrow them.

An open claim at the time of sale

We didn't find a Colorado rule that settles what happens to a claim that's still open when the house sells. It depends on the policy, the insurer and what buyer and seller agree to in writing. Questions to raise with your agent and the insurer:

• Who has the right to the insurance payment, and will the insurer pay anyone other than the named insured?
• Will the roof be replaced before closing, or will the money be credited or assigned?
• If depreciation is being held back until the work is done, who can still collect it after the sale?
• Does the buyer's lender accept the arrangement?

Transferring the roof warranty

Most shingle warranties can move to a new owner once. The catch is timing: many cut the new owner's coverage sharply if the transfer happens after the warranty's early full-coverage period. None of the three below covers hail damage, which is an insurance matter.

Older roofs carry the warranty in effect when they were installed, which may have different terms. Enhanced system warranties sold through certified contractors have their own transfer rules, so read the certificate for the roof you're buying.

Buyers should get the warranty paperwork at closing and handle the transfer right away. Sellers can help by putting the warranty, the install date and the original invoice in the roof file.

For sellers: replace before listing, or offer a credit?

There's no single answer, and we found no reliable Colorado data on which pays off better. These are rules of thumb to weigh with your listing agent:

• Replacing first can make sense when the roof is near the end of its life or has hail damage any inspector will spot. It may also help when buyers in your price range are likely to have trouble getting insured on the current roof. A new roof with a permit, warranty and invoice removes a common objection.
• A credit or price adjustment can make sense when the roof still has some life, when buyers will want to pick their own material, or when you're short on time. You avoid managing a project while moving, and the buyer avoids a rushed job they didn't choose.
• Either way, get a roofer's written assessment first. Knowing what's wrong and what it costs puts you ahead of the buyer's inspection instead of reacting to it.

If you do replace, keep everything a buyer will ask for: the contract, the permit and final inspection, the product name and the registered warranty. If your town requires Class 4 shingles on replacements, a buyer's insurer may also ask about it. To check a contractor before you sign, see checking a roofer.

Common questions

Does a Colorado seller have to disclose hail damage to the roof?

The Colorado Real Estate Commission's Seller's Property Disclosure asks about damage from hail and other casualties, roof damage and leaks, and any property insurance claim submitted, paid or not. The seller answers from current actual knowledge and doesn't have to inspect. Ask your agent how disclosure duties apply to your sale.

Can I get a CLUE report on a house I'm buying?

Not directly. Pennsylvania's Insurance Department says only the owner can order one, and InterNACHI adds the property's insurers and lenders, so ask the seller to order it and share it.

Does the roof warranty transfer to me when I buy the house?

Often, but only once and only if someone does the paperwork. GAF, Owens Corning and CertainTeed shingle warranties each allow one transfer, and coverage can shrink to two years if the transfer happens after the early full-coverage period. Read the warranty for the exact roof.

Will a home inspector walk on the roof?

Not necessarily. InterNACHI's standards let inspectors look from the ground or the eaves, and ASHI's leave it to the inspector's judgment when walking would be unsafe or could cause damage. See how roof inspections work.

What happens if hail damages the house after we sign but before closing?

The standard Colorado contract (CBS1, section 18.1) covers damage before closing. Depending on how much damage there is and whether insurance pays, the seller repairs it, the buyer may terminate, or the buyer takes a credit or an assignment of the insurance money. Your agent can walk you through how it applies.

Should a seller replace an old roof before listing?

Sometimes. It can make sense when the roof is near the end of its life or has hail damage a buyer's inspector will find. A credit or price cut is often simpler when the buyer wants to choose the material. Talk it through with your listing agent.