Gilson Gray LLP Edinburgh reviews

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I would give 0 stars if it was an…

I would give 0 stars if it was an option.If you expect to exchange and complete in a suitable timeframe do not at all use this company.They are the worst at communicating and are harder to get hold of than any other company I have ever worked with.I am currently going to my social media platform which has thousands of followers and going to get this seen and shared on all platforms and tell my followers to share so no one ever has to go through this again.Please please take my review seriously and never use this company I won’t name names on here but believe me on my solical platform I will name and shame especially on linked so people can see the actual people who work for this company who should not be trusted with anything

Muhammed · 17 August 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I would give 0 stars if it was an…

I would give 0 stars if it was an option.If you expect to exchange and complete in a suitable timeframe do not at all use this company.They are the worst at communicating and are harder to get hold of than any other company I have ever worked with.I am currently going to my social media platform which has thousands of followers and going to get this seen and shared on all platforms and tell my followers to share so no one ever has to go through this again.Please please take my review seriously and never use this company I won’t name names on here but believe me on my solical platform I will name and shame especially on linked so people can see the actual people who work for this company who should not be trusted with anything

Mo · 17 August 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Positive experience

I had Sophie Barratt as my solicitor and I couldn’t recommend her enough. She was quick in her responses and would always answer the phone. She got me over the finish line within a four month timescale and any correspondence was always clear and helpful. I would definitely recommend Gilson Gray and Sophie.

Scarlett · 16 March 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

If your in a chain with Gilson Gray…

If your in a chain with Gilson Gray forget about completion....this has to be one of the worse solicitors on the planet after Convey Law....they have led us to believe everything is ready to go to find out from Convey Law that Gilson Gray are still not ready after 5 months....absolute joke...so we pulled the plug in the chain...should have done it earlier after seeing the reviews...This is why there is so much mental health issues these days as frustration and no fault of buyers and sellers...Won't communicate with anyone...should be a Law to stop these micky mouse conveyancers exist....Update and didn't even acknowledge our proper solicitors email to say we we're withdrawing from the sale...they just don't hive a damn...I fo feel sorry for your client the only thing she did wrong was employ these muppets..

John · 5 August 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I have enquired about two of their properties for rent - both were immediately available (and still are), one in Oxgangs and the other is near South Gyle. But for two months, I have not managed to book a viewing or make an application based on virtual tour. Horrible service not only for tenants but for landlords too.NegativeResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism

M · 17 June 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

They sent my offer on a really good property to the wrong firm, which led to me missing out. They explained that it was a common mistake. It is a concern if this is true.

Callum · 8 August 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Avoid at all costs

Avoid at all costs! Completion date 28th July 23. Now have 3 mortgages. 2 to be paid off by this solicitor. New funds in Gilsons account with no forward plan to pay off my outstanding debts as per agreement. Constantly ignored on the phone and email. Passed fromOne person to another, solicitors of sick sudden bereavements the lot. Continuing to make payments on debts that should be paid off and when I do eventually get hold of my trainee solicitor she’s requests further information but is non specific. Asking for settlement figures after the closing date more information that we have already sent with no plan to send us our money. I feel trapped, exploited, financially ruined. If you like your sanity please avoid at all costs. Edinburgh office failing to comply with legal requirements changing the plan constantly not prepared for the closing date. Please don’t do it, I wish I had checked here before agreeing to use them, folks please think again. Time to complaint to the Financial Ombudsman. Exhausted.

Fiona · 2 August 2023

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

poor communication and bad attitudes

I don’t think there are any solicitors with 100% five star reviews, but honestly if you have the choice, use a different solicitor. I can’t actually fault their work. Other than dragging their heels (as it feels for any homebuyer), they have done everything a standard conveyancing solicitor would do. However, the thing I can’t stand, is their attitudes. Similarly to the modern GP, it’s a case of getting past a snotty receptionist before speaking to a solicitor. All of them are seemingly horrific at picking up their phones, and when they do pick up, you’re spoken to like dog dirt on the end of a shoe. I’m unsure to what stance the receptionists are at to believe they can speak to everyone like they are incompetent. I genuinely hate ringing for an update because the staff are just so snotty. As for emails, don’t even go there because they don’t reply! My solicitor told me they have an average reply time of 3 days.. so tell me why 15 days later I still haven’t had a response and had to ring them? Like I say, I’m sure no solicitor has 100% shiny 5 star reviews because of the nature of the stressful business they work in, but I would say do your research and look into it properly before making any decisions. Gilson gray really have made an already stressful time more stressful. I wouldn’t recommend.

Amy · 26 July 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

beware poor customer experience gilson Gray

beware , do not use this company for the purchase or selling of property , our experience has been terrible and we would not want any other people to be treated the same way but let me be specific - The below was sent 48hrs ago yet still no re[ly dispiyr telephone call and E mail - I really need your support and input please , the timeline involved in trying to close off this purchase has now resulted in lodging an official complaint .my wife and i are at our wits end and so you are aware of our circumstances i will explain that we have our house full of our buyers furniture whilst we are sitting on deck chairs , it's got so bad that my wife was taken to hospital for extreme anxiety and was kept in for observations all directly linked to the terrible customer experience we have been through .please allow me to be specific - Timeline , not acceptable as we are cash buyers , its a vacant property and our house is sold Communication, terrible experience and pretty non existent apart from e-mails which leave you asking more questions than answers you would expect to be given.i now ring Gilson Gray office to speak to our POC and her phone goes to voicemail explaining she is OOO until august 1st Finances - this means that we will now have another month mortgage to pay which should have been avoidable if the focus and attention to our case been given a good standard approach and execution We are so fed up with the whole experience that we are considering making an official complaint to the conveyancing ombudsman as well as take legal advice.i would like to think with the correct handling we could be given a completion/moving date asap

Mr · 24 July 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I would give a zero if I could- DO NOT USE

I would give a zero if I could, awful company ran by clowns. No communication, happy to take your money but the lack of urgency is awful

Unhappy · 18 September 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Poor communication and unprofessional

We were referred to Gilson Gray by a local estate agent back in February. Those estate agents have now apparently had so many complaints about Gilson Gray that they no longer refer anyone to them.Our experience of the firm was that they are practically impossible to get hold of, via phone or via email, and when a response was finally forthcoming, this was usually very perfunctory and lacking the necessary information, meaning that we had to spend even more time getting in touch with them again. I'm possibly slightly old fashioned in this regard, but I would always hope that a professional company might at least use some punctuation in their email correspondence - not to do so shows a lack of respect for their clients, something which seemed to pervade every interaction I had with them.We finally made it to completion of our house purchase after I spent about 2 or 3 weeks bombarding them with emails and phone calls to try and impart a little bit of urgency to the proceedings. They then didn't pay my estate agent fees until about 3 weeks later, at which point my estate agents were (quite rightly) asking me for the money rather than the solicitors... another 7 phone calls later this was finally sorted, but yet another stressful situation that could have been easily avoided had they done their jobs correctly. I could go on with further examples.Avoid this company at all costs - they have zero professionalism and no understanding of how to treat a paying customer.

AJ · 5 July 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

This is a terrible company

This is a terrible company. Buying a house is stressful enough with out the added stress of this company. You will not get answers to your emails until 1 min before closing time. You need to triple check all documents with figures as they will be wrong on multiple drafts. If you have a closing date in mind then you need to have a back up as the first choice is likely to be missed nearly causing you to lose your house. No point in complaining as you’ll get immature argumentative responses. Save yourself the hassle and find someone with a bit of professionalism about them

Joe · 18 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

A shockingly bad service... I wouldn't even call them solicitors... I'd call this business a mess... if i could I'd give them minus 5 stars... nothing but trouble from the get go... ZERO communication esp from their paralegal ELLE M. I swear I'd get a hold of the pope before I'd get a hold of her!!!! She NEVER picks up, they keep asking for more and more paperwork every couple of wks... im now about to get the keys next wk and after chasing elle m for nearly 2wks, i had been sent paperwork today that wont be here till at least Monday, they want everything now within 5 working days so the paperwork can be done, and when i asked how is it i couldn't get a hold of her by email or phone (called her direct number and the office number where they kept transferring me to her and it kept going to vm) she was apparently on holiday... yeah right!!!! You go on holiday, dont leave an out of the office message on emails and nobody in the office knows you're on holiday... right... and im a snow white!!!! If my details werent passed to them by tge financial advisor and had i known any better, id find myself somebody else cos they are a joke and obviously dont give a damn cos they don't even answer bad reviews unless it's from landlords or potential long term tenants... figures...

Lucia · 17 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Tried to arrange a viewing on a property listed at a fixed price. Initial request for viewing was made at 0947hrs on 1/2/23. I asked for something ideally that day but just as soon as possible, given the property is listed at a fixed price. Abby from Gilson Gray asked if I had a property to sell, which we do, and immediately became difficult to deal with. She said she "thinks" the viewing agent would be available on Saturday but that she would have to speak to them. I advised that was fine and awaited a call back. Nothing heard. At 1424hrs on 2/2/23, I phoned again to chase this up. At 1438hrs, same date, I received a call back from Abby saying the viewing agent could do Saturday and asked if we'd be available then. I said we could only do the morning. Unsurprisingly, Abby said the viewing agent could only be there from 12.30pm onwards and offered no alternative time for us to view. Thankfully, we've had an offer accepted on another property, through another agent. I would recommend you don't sell your house through Gilson Gray as they make it nigh-on -impossible for viewers to get through the door.

Jenna · 17 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Poor communication and client care

In the manifesto of this company, they state that 'Our clients are at the heart of everything we do' but that wasn't our experience. Hollie Sambrook ignored our wishes throughout and was determined to exchange and complete on the same day, which caused us huge stress. She had her phone on permanent voicemail and often answered our emails late in the day with a one-liner. As cash buyers we could have sent the monies at any time but she wouldn't let us. We practically begged her to give us the transfer details the day before completion but she then sent late questions, which could have been done weeks earlier, meaning we could not exchange that day. By the end of it we had completely lost confidence and faith in her. We finally completed at 4pm much to our distress and also the vendors. The irony of it was that her letter finally giving us instructions advised us to make sure we had enough time to send the money! All this could have so easily been avoided. It was never explained why our wishes were ignored and hers took precedence, despite the fact that we were the clients. I cannot recommend.

Glynis · 9 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Tried to contact them about my flat I purchased (they were the sellers) for nearly 2 months now and they haven't replied, phoned them directly and had my solicitors. Useless bunch. They were also "cheeky" to my solicitors on completion day... wouldn't recommend

Sophie · 20 October 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Absolutely terrible!!

If you wish for a solicitor who does not reply to emails or answers her phone for weeks. Who does not communicate with other solicitors and decides herself that the whole chain will be exchanging and completing on the same day but doesn’t wish to communicate this with the other solicitors. Then use Hollie Sambrook at Gilson and Gray. Heaven forbid she’s asked to do her job then expect her to not respond and continue to bring up enquiries 6 months down the line the day before we should be completing. An absolute shambles and to top it all off we didn’t complete until 5pm at night due to her error. Couldn’t recommend a more awful company if I tried.

Bex · 7 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

The most horrific experience

The most horrific experience. They changed the case handler without letting me know. Poor communication, not answering emails. Never available. Does not return calls.

Mrs · 15 October 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Communication is non existent

Communication is non existent , unprofessional, and I really don’t like the idea of these people handling my money.I honestly believe that these people should not be allowed to operate

Matt · 8 July 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Awful from start to finish

Awful from start to finish. Please do not use this company for conveyancing, its painful to say the least. No communication, never answer the phone and rarely emails either. At 4.45pm on the day of exchange and completion I was worried I was going to be homeless having completed my sale but not my purchase. Exchange should have happened the week before and not on the same day. My received proceeds were over £2k short and its taken a week to resolve. They were on my estate agents panel of conveyancers and now they are not...if my review didn't convince you enough perhaps that might!

Karen · 19 May 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

From the 1st call with Lisa to the successful moving into my rental, the process has been very efficient and helpful. The team have been amazing. Thank you

Kerry · 26 July 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

joanne carlton, gilson gray

i’m an estate agent and was lucky enough to work with joanne carlton in a professional capacity as we shared a mutual client. i can honestly say she has been instrumental in making sure the transaction went through smoothly and i cannot praise her enough, highly reccomend!

Abbie · 30 May 2023

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Would recommend

Jo who dealt with the sale and purchase of our home was fantastic from the start. Although the process was long and timely (due to other parties) we were provided with regular updates and if we needed to chase she was also available on the phone to answer any queries. Jo went out of her way to make sure we were in our new home due to many delays we had because of other solicitors. Would recommend and will use again should we decide to move house.

Jemma · 24 April 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Horrendous customer service

We recently sold our house and bought a new house (gilson gray acting on both transactions). The customer service has been atrocious and communication has been abysmal. I genuinely wouldn’t even rate them a 1, if I could give them 0 I would. The average wait time for a response is about 3 weeks!! We moved in November 2022, it’s now April 2023 and we still can’t get a hold of them to get one of our keys. Please avoid like the plague, the staff are over worked and they clearly can’t control the workload they are taking on in the conveyancing department. Joke of a company

David · 18 April 2023