'Who the heck has $7,000?': Homeowners in uproar as HOA says every unit in their Colorado neighborhood needs a new roof

But the levy itself is financially devastating for Hayden, who lives on a fixed income.

“I don’t have that money nor will I ever have that amount,” Hayden told the Post. “Who the heck has $7,000?”

For now, she’s praying her home doesn’t go into foreclosure and that she doesn’t get evicted. She’s lived in Peachwood, a subdivision of Aurora, Colorado, for 25 years and pays her mortgage and $330 HOA fees every month.

“If I get foreclosed and evicted, I don’t want to see the things I’ve worked so hard for out on the sidewalk and people going through it,” Hayden said. “I’m doing what I can, and I’m hoping the Lord will do his part.”

HOAs across Colorado are levying special assessments to cover the cost of new roofs due to hail damage. As the Post reports, $7,000 is at the low end. Some levies are two to three times as much.

Here’s a look at why HOAs are charging so much for roof repairs and how homeowners are fighting back.

Rising insurance rates and rising anger

The root of the problem is property insurance, which has gone through the roof in Colorado due to wildfires and hailstorms. HOAs are passing on those insurance costs to homeowners.

According to CPR News, Colorado is now one of the top 10 most expensive states for homeowners insurance in the U.S., with premiums up 65% in the past five years. Some insurers are not renewing policies at all.

Just like homeowners, HOAs that want to maintain relatively affordable insurance policies opt for higher deductibles. Unfortunately, if a hailstorm strikes, they must dip into reserves — sometimes to the tune of millions — to cover the deductible.

If there’s not enough, they pass on the cost in the form of special assessments. But homeowners are pushing back. In Peachtree, where Hayden lives, a group of homeowners tried to kick out their HOA in October.

In 2025, homeowners balked when the Soaring Eagles Townhomes Association in Colorado Springs issued a $20,700 special assessment for 2024 hailstorm damage.

The HOA said it bought the best insurance policy it could — but that meant opting for a whopping $3.2-million hail deductible. When the hailstorm hit, the HOA only had $2.4 million to cover the deductible, leaving homeowners on the hook for the remaining $800,000.

Some refused to pay the special assessment. Others set up a payment plan with the HOA, per Colorado state law.