BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A young couple is looking for redemption after they were kicked out of an illegally converted garage.

The couple, who spoke on condition of anonymity, had been paying $550 a month to live in the garage at a northeast Bakersfield home. Last week, the city came knocking to tell them they had to get out.

"It was pretty obvious just looking at it, looking inside, that it was totally illegal," said Terry Buss of the city code enforcement office.

Buss said the pregnant woman and her fiancé had been living in a space without proper permits, ventilation, windows or lighting.

The couple said they've tried more than 20 times to contact the landlord, Ruth Arias, without any luck. Eyewitness News was able to reach Arias on Tuesday, but she wouldn't say why she didn't check the legality of the garage before renting it out.

The couple said they're contacting lawyers in an effort to recoup some of their rent payments.