Gilson Gray

Elena Barcan

3 months ago

Had a positive experience working with Paul, Ema and Katerina on my first home purchase and would wholeheartedly recommend their services. My purchase involved a lease extension which, as a first time buyer, I was quite nervous about. However, the team were great, explained everything in simple terms and set out what needed to happen in order to save me time and money in the long run. The rest went smoothly, every question I had was answered, communication with the team was regular and prompt (even when there were no major updates) and full transparency about the costs involved every step of the way. Overall very satisfied with the service. Thank you!

Dan Gregory

4 months ago

We have just bought and sold a property in South East London and used Paul and the team to do all of our conveyancing for both and they have been brilliant. Paul and the team are very efficient, responsive and really helped us through a challenge and unpredictable purchase and sale. Quick replies to emails and queries and lots of reassurance along the way too. A great and very approachable team that will take away the headache of a situation that is already stressful enough. We would highly recommend for any sale or purchase.

Pawel R

a month ago

We chose Paul and Gilson Gray based on recommendations, not because we were seeking affordability but because we valued quality and expertise. Initially, we were impressed by their responsiveness; Paul promptly answered our queries via email, often within an hour. Unfortunately, as the process progressed, it became evident that the firm's approach was lacking. They displayed unwillingness to act proactively, exhibited poor communication with other parties, and maintained a condescending attitude—not only toward the opposing solicitors but also toward the lender involved. In hindsight, we made the mistake of allowing them to proceed without regular follow-ups from our side, trusting that they would manage the process efficiently. This trust was misplaced, as it became apparent that they were content to let weeks pass while waiting for responses from the opposing party’s solicitor, demonstrating no real effort to chase updates or expedite the process. At the outset, we were promised a fixed rate. However, five months into the transaction, we were put in a difficult position and informed that unless we agreed to an additional fee of £350 plus VAT per hour, the firm would cease handling the property purchase and even refused to answer basic queries. This demand was justified by referencing the time they had already invested in the matter and a single phone conversation we had with Paul. Following this, Gilson Gray began to charge us for every word they wrote and read, making us extremely cautious to get in touch and ask for an update. We have encountered numerous additional failings throughout the process. For example, we were instructed to upload documents to a portal for security purposes, spending an entire evening doing so, only to be informed the next day of IT issues and asked to send them via email instead. There were other serious errors, including another customer mistakenly being included in our correspondence, as well as receiving a final report intended for someone else. Additionally, there was a miscommunication between Gilson Gray and our lender. Emma, who covered for Paul during his leave, refused to make a simple phone call to clarify the issue, stating that 'it's not how we do things; we must wait.' In the end, we had to resolve the issue ourselves—a single phone call revealed the hold-up originated on Gilson Gray’s side. Their lack of initiative and accountability nearly cost us a place to live and almost caused us to miss the stamp duty deadline, had we followed their instructions to wait. Throughout the process, there was a total lack of consideration for the human impact of these delays. Although we ultimately managed to purchase the property, the experience caused significant stress and financial strain. The additional charges amounted to £2,000, bringing the total cost of conveyancing to over £5,000. Based on our experience, we would certainly not recommend Gilson Gray to anyone seeking assistance with a property purchase.

Barney Szabo

3 months ago

I used Gilson Gray for my property purchase. The London team have helped make an otherwise stressful purchase very manageable and streamlined. I felt supported and looked after throughout. I worked primarily with Ema, with Paul being occasionally involved when Ema was on holiday. Both of them were great in their exchanges and helped simplify matters. This was very important as there were a number of old, historic documents / covenants that would have been hard to make sense of otherwise. Just as importantly, they really stood up for me throughout the whole process when dealing with the other parties. And they did so in a way that made their writing come across polite yet firm. My way of communication with them was only via emails, which I felt was quite satisfactory. Most of the documents were shared online, via secure file storage sharing options, including for AML. I once had to go to their office to deliver a pack of documents; this was because of the urgency to deliver them, as I was not aware of the need to do so and I was informed a week prior to completion. This, however, does not take away from the overall positive experience for me.

P G

4 months ago

Paul and Ema were extremely helpful in getting my transaction over the line. They were always on hand to provide stellar advice throughout the process. They came highly recommended and I can see why. The professionalism, communication, and technical knowledge was second to none. Will use the firm again in future.