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What are my responsibilities to a purchaser after a house sale?

I've been hearing from my realtor for the past month that the buyer of a house I sold has been experiencing leaks they claim are due to renovation work I did prior to the sale. I've reqquested an itemized list of their costs, with no response. Now I hear from the realtor that they will be having their lawyer contact me. Any idea what I may be liable for in this situation? I'm in Canada, and there was an inspection done by a home inspector as one of the conditions of sale. This didn't indicate any leaks. The purchase agreement stated that if the renovation (bathroom) wasn't complete by closing, there would be a $2K penalty. It might have been cheaper to not complete it , and give up the $2K rather than finish it, and now have to fight over some leaks. The bathroom reno was just done in order to improve the room. Not as a repsone to any problems.

Public Comments

1. depends if you or they purchased the new home coverage insurance & if you declared your renovation work in the contract.....& if the home was sold as is....laws vary from state to state..... you are showing good faith by contacting the new buyers !!! EDIT: if you are contacted by anyone -- lawyer, current owner whomever -- take notes, don't respond to comments or questions in any way-- ask them to pls put their concerns in writing & send it to so you can respond. only respond directly to what is in writing or get your atty/soliciter to do so. not your realtor!!!!!
2. You need to contact a real estate lawyer of your own. Depending on what type of purchase agreement was drafted and signed, you might not need to acknowledge anything after the sale is done (I'm not an expert, but that is how it looks from this side of the computer monitor). If you filled out a disclosure notice prior to the sale, and did mention the renovation work, then maybe it should absolve you of any continuing issues. I find it odd that your realtor is the one relaying the info to you.
3. Depending on the state you are in, they might not have a claim. They signed paperwork stating they were okay with the house (assuming there isn't a grace period on the contract) and the condition it was in at the time of the sale. Unless they can prove you knew about the "leaks" and intentionally hid it from them, they don't have much of a claim. But, in this lawyer world, who knows. Just remember, document EVERYTHING! Even the fact that you requested something from them and they failed to respond. It can show that they are not interested in working with you to solve the problem.
4. Jamie, did they have an inspection done prior to closing? If they delined to have an inspection, then it 's their problem. Did you supply them with a "seller's disclosure on the condtion as you know it of the property?" If you did not reveal material facts about the house, you could be held liable. I'd wait to see what happens. If an attorney calls, you take his/her information and tell them you'll call them back. Make no comments. Then contact an attorney yourself.
5. Were the renovations part of the contract negotiations? ie: a problem discovered in the home inspection that was supposed to be fixed or was it work that was done a while back. Also, did you use an attorney or home inspector on your transaction? If it was an issue that was disclosed or found in the home inspection and you have proof that you made every effort to resolve the problem...and the buyer signed off on that repair at the walk-through prior to closing, then I think you may be clear of liability. I'm a realtor and I always recommend my clients hire a professional, licensed contractor to handle any repair issues that arise during negotiations. That way you have proof of the repair (a receipt,) from a reputable professional that may even carry a warrantee. This may seem like an unecessary expense to a do it yourselfer, but it helps to indemnify you if the problem returns with the new owner.