The Groves at Clemson

I had been in contact with this property for weeks. I had communicated an appointment to come up for all of my paperwork and to make a deposit. The day of the appointment, I called with a question. The owner informed me that they were full. I was planning on driving over an hour for the meeting, and he was not going to let me know that they were full unless I called. No where does the website or communication with the Groves state anything about submitting anything to them ahead of time. Also, on the phone, he was extremely rude. When questioning him about the appointment today, he said "What if someone was standing in front of you with money?" If that is his only concern, he should not be in the business of housing college students from out of state and out of the country. Luckily I am semi-local to this property. But, I pity the person that drives hours from out of state or even flys from another country for him to say, "We're full!"

Our oldest daughter moved in 2017 to a 1 bedroom unit that was almost new. It was on the 2nd floor and she had a covered deck that faced the NE (perfect with no hot afternoon sun). She was able to bring her Maine Coon kitty for a reasonable pet deposit and he enjoyed sitting out on the deck when she was home. She loved the security for herself and her kitty as not only did she had a door to her apartment but there was also another entry door at the bottom of the stairs. It was very affordable and everything is included in the monthly rent. The complex has a mix of students...grad students, older residents, a few families and more women than men renters. She felt safe and didn’t have to worry about a loud party atmosphere. The washer/dryer in unit worked great and the heating/A/C units in the living room and bedroom worked well. It’s about a 6-7 mile drive to the Clemson campus (about 15 minutes) and you’ll need to get a commuter parking pass. There is no bus stop or campus transport bus to these apartments. The only issue she had was when power went out, it often was out longer than other places because it is farther from campus and not in a high density area so doesn’t get priority for service but that was not the apartments fault. When she graduated, her sister who is 2 years younger moved into her apartment. We didn’t have to move too much thankfully and she brought her Maine Coon kitty as well. We love Maine Coons LOL! So we had 2 college daughters at Clemson live here for a total of 4 years and both were happy with their experience and the affordability of having their own 1 bedroom apartment with a pet. The girls took very good care of their apartment and we will receiving most of our deposit back as everything was spotless and in good working order at our walkthrough. When we first rented at the Groves, Chuck was the manager. Since that time, his son Colby has now taken over the responsibility and they both were responsive to any needed requests, repairs or questions. Shoutout to Margaret who works there and is seen almost daily on the property keeping things running smoothly. Are there rules? YES...parking rules, noise rules, guest rules, pool rules, trash rules, etc. Follow them and you’ll be fine!

Let's start with the positives: -It is cheap -You can have pets Now the negatives -You can't have overnight guests past 7 days throughout your entire contract - the landlord owns a towing service and patrols like a hawk. If you want a guest to stay over 7 nights, prepare to pay $15 per night extra. Stay away if you have family or friends that want to visit you. -Internet is free but it is really really bad - so bad that I can't have zoom meetings or stream nearly anything. Stay away if you want to do anything internet related. -The walls are really thin - I can hear my neighbors and their dogs stomping around. I can hear them run their washing machine and dishwasher too. Stay away if you want to relax at nights. -Kitchen layout is terrible - there is no space for anything. I have to store pots and pans under the sink next to the kitchen cleaners. Stay away if you want to do a lot of cooking. -I have heard from previous tenants that you will NOT get your deposit back. The landlord is extremely stingy about deposits and will mark you off for every little thing. Prepare for your deposit to just be an extra bonus for your landlord. Stay away if you want your deposit back. If you want a place to live that's cheap and you have a dog/cat, then this is the place for you. If you want a place where you can have visitors, use the internet, have peace and quiet, can cook, and can get your deposit back, then stay away.

Are you kidding me? We just recieved our deposit check and boy did they nickle and dime us. It was cleaner when my son moved out than when he moved in. Absolutely ridiculous. You pay for what you get. Wifi sucks. Can't ever get maintenance to repair anything. Parking rules are ridiculous. Don't even think "I wonder.." Because it WILL BE TOWED. Honestly for the cost one would think that rentals would be at full capacity but it isn't? Wonder why? Follow your instincts.