A Winnipeg couple is looking for answers after a bad experience buying their first home.

The newlyweds were greeted with a hefty repair bill after a city bylaw officer paid them an unexpected visit months after they moved in.

It's a situation they hope no one else encounters.

Michael Franklin and Jocelyn Best-Franklin thought they had found the perfect home in Fort Rouge.

They bought the three bedroom home through a realtor in August 2015, but months later the purchase has left them stressed, frustrated and disappointed.

When you walk in now, you can see a hole in the wall, a floor made of cardboard and electrical hazards – all problems the couple didn’t find out about until they were paid a visit by a city bylaw officer and home inspector this past January. The city requested a full inspection of the newlywed's house.

The Franklins said they were told the city had reason to believe work was done on their home without the proper permits.

"I was instantly trying to figure what was potentially wrong with our house," said Jocelyn.

Turns a lot was wrong.

The couple said the city found a number of deficiencies including potential electrical problems and even structural concerns.

"For a potential home buyer to not know that these permits are not there is quite shocking," said Jocelyn.

The Franklins are now on the hook for taking out the proper permits to have the problems fixed. The couple is running out of time. They’ve been running into problems every step of the way and only have until the beginning of September to do so, or else they will face a fine.

In total, they estimate repairs will cost $30,000, money they can recover through title insurance. Still, they said the whole experience has been exhausting.

"It's quite stressful to know that your house may potentially not be safe," said Jocelyn.

Calvin Friesen, a lawyer with McRoberts Law Office, said requesting a property disclosure statement from the seller could help protect buyers, but he said it could also jeopardize your purchase.

“If it's a hot real estate market then that may cause the sale not to happen,” said Friesen. “The seller's going to say I don't want to bother with this, there's three other people coming with offers so it's that kind of situation. Buyer beware."

The Franklins wish they would've requested a home inspection prior to their purchase.

Something home inspector Jed Cox with River City Home Inspection said can save buyers a lot of headaches down the road.

"If there was a lot of recent renovations done we would certainly ask a few questions to the real estate agent or the buyer if they had done homework about when these were done and if permits were taken out," said Cox.

The Franklins are still sorting out the mess with their insurance company.

They've been living in a construction zone for the past eight months and hope that changes sometime soon.

"At this point we just want our house fixed,” said Jocelyn. “That's really all that we're asking for."

Even if they get the permits before the deadline, they said they’ll have to wait weeks before repairs can begin.