114 Earle, Clemson’s premier apartment complex, has fought with a slew of issues in the past year. Students were turned away from their apartments on move in day with no knowledge of lingering damages the building had, even after the residents’ first months’ rent was paid in full.
This is not the first time residents of 114 Earle were forced to move out. The building was built on varying grades; the lower levels are underground while the third floor and up are above ground. Due to this, there have been issues with the building settling, foundation issues, and water pipe concerns.
The first instances of residents moving out came this past winter. The property, through shifts in management and maintenance personnel, has tried to remedy the problems; however, the woes are not over yet. This fall semester alluded to additional and ongoing damages within the property, and it continues to affect dozens of students.
Senior Austin Schlueter, an affected resident of 114 Earle, stated, “Given that these issues had been ongoing, I can’t be convinced that the apartment didn’t know it was this bad until the last second.”
This speculation raises questions across the board. Additionally, according to Schlueter, Clemson’s Fire Marshall said, “there wasn’t negligence”, but Schlueter did not know if the Marshall was referring to the outside engineering consultants or to the complex itself.
Many 114 Earle residents arriving for their fall semesters were turned away from their apartments with talk of “foundation problems” and “structural instability” being thrown around. These students were not notified of the issue beforehand and expected to move in without issue, presenting additional challenges for many.
Schlueter arrived at 114 Earle for move in on August 15, but was turned away by property management for the same structural concerns. “My roommate called me frantically and said we were homeless [on move in day],” said Schlueter. He was forced to change apartment complexes, even after committing to his lease at 114 Earle for the 2019-2020 school year.
“My roommates found The Orchard apartment complex the next morning; we all signed our leases last minute and took the sole remaining house on the property,” said Schlueter.  This same situation was the case for some 95 other residents – moving to another place was the only option.
According to Section 27-40-440 of South Carolina law, “a landlord shall: comply with the requirements of applicable building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety, make all repairs and do whatever is reasonably necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition, and keep all common areas of the premises in a reasonably safe condition, and, for premises containing more than four dwelling units, keep in a reasonably clean condition.” 
These three clauses are in the section titled, ‘Landlord to maintain premises’, and all are applicable to the situation at 114 Earle. The apartment has a legal obligation to the residents to ensure these measures, but with the foundation and flooding issues, they cannot be fulfilled.
As investigations continue and design flaws are analyzed, 114 Earle continues to be open for its unaffected residents. There is no definite word on when repairs will be finished, or even if the repairs can be completed.
114 Earle, with monthly rent starting in the $700s, is one of the most expensive complexes in Clemson. Oftentimes, apartment complexes are legally responsible for financial compensation in the event of a situation like this. There is no word on how the complex plans to get those affected residents back into their rightful apartments, but for the sake of those students, the sooner it happens, the better. 
The Tiger has reached out to 114 Earle for comment, but as of August 25, there has been no response.