I wouldn't say that I'm a massively naive person but, I was shocked today at the state of housing in London.

I've never been a fan of housing in London. Coming from the States I've always thought that decent housing was a right. I know no system is perfect but the state of housing in London is appalling.

I admit my naivety in that, when I moved to London I thought I would be able to rent a one bedroom flat in Pimlico... I know, right?! I thought, "it's close to work"but, when I found I would have to spend nearly 60 percent of my starting salary to have a place the size of a walk-in closet I chose to live in a flat with five other people. This was a new experience to me but, my American upbringing meant that I inherently thought that I would be able save some money and,in a couple of years, I would be able to rent a one bedroom apartment.

That was nearly eight years ago. I've never been able to afford to rent a one bedroom apartment. The best I was able to do was a studio in Elephant and Castle with bad windows and faulty heating...also there were mice and the toilet was across the hallway...and there was a raucous pub below me. It did have good internet(eventually) and transport connections though.

I had come to the conclusion that I wasn't going be able to afford to rent or buy a one bedroom flat. Then this flyer came through my door. So today I went to see how this may work. I looked into this before and because I did not have Indefinite Leave to Remain I could not take advantage of the deal.

This is a different deal but, when I walked out of the showroom in Elephant and Castle (this is important) I was enraged.

The minimum salary that I needed to be earning for Help to Buy to kick in, for Elephant and Castle, was £80,000 per year.

That's almost double the average London wage and almost 50 percent more than my salary. If you don't earn more than £80,000 there may be other options for Help to Buy but, right here, right now, you're not owning anything in Elephant and Castle.

To give this context, only seven years ago, Elephant and Castle was a no-go zone. With a bad reputation for high crime. Southwark Council tore down the largest council estate in Britain at a loss and, just like that, the average salary in the E and C will go from the tens of thousands to the hundreds of thousands.This article from the New Statesman in 2013 covers the issues very well.

I have a good job. It may be infuriating but, it IS a good job but, I'll never be able to afford a flat in London's central zones and increasingly outside of those areas as well. Here is a listing for a one bedroom flat near Woolwich Arsenal. Help to Buy kicks in at an annual salary cap of £90,000 per year.

I've looked both inside and outside of London and prices are skyrocketing across the South-East of England. Also, season tickets cancel out any gains for slightly cheaper living costs outside of the capital. No wonder the UK was compared to the Hunger Games a few years ago.

Now, I'm an adult, I live in London and I understand that it is pretty much impossible for me to buy a home outright however, if I have to earn nearly £100,000 a year to qualify for, what is effectively state-aid, what chance does the middle-class in this city have?

To be clear, to afford to buy a flat in or, around, the capital, one needs double the London wage or nearly quadruple the average UK wage to even qualify for STATE-AID to help purchase a flat.

When the bankers need welfare, we are all in trouble.