My Odyssey

My Odyssey

As you would have read some months ago, I ended up in hospital and at that stage it was difficult for me to write about this, but now I'm close to recovery.

20 October 2016 we were on our way back from visiting my wife's office in Palmerston North. As I made my way out to the car, which I have done so many times before, I had a fall.  There was always a bit of loose gravel to negotiate and I was priding myself on how much confidence I'd gained from a couple of weeks before, but next minute I was on the ground with people rushing to help me and when they went to stand me up I knew that there was definitely something wrong as I couldn't put any weight on my right leg. The quick decision was, let's head home after being bundled in the car and sort it out then. Besides I was looking forward to my weekly Chinese meal. Travelling down from Palmerston by car as a passenger I occasionally put pressure on my right leg by pushing my foot to the firewall of the car but there didn't seem to be too much discomfort so I thought things wouldn't be that bad.

When we got home there was some difficulty getting out of the car and I was happy to leave things until the next morning before investigating, but as good wives do, Pam rang the Healthline and I was advised to get it x-rayed that night.  Because we had so much difficulty getting me in and out of the car an ambulance was the best option.  This wasn't my first time in an ambulance and being driven through the streets of Lower Hutt I thought it probably won't be the last. Arriving at A&E I knew this was going to be a long wait as it didn't involve my head or heart.  After some waiting, I was wheeled off to radiology to be informed that I had fractured my hip.  The doctor in A&E said we will have you out of here in a couple of days and we will give you a spare part replacement. So I was wheeled off to the orthopaedic ward at 12:30 am the next morning.  I eagerly awaited the visit of the surgeons only to be informed that there would be no surgery as they needed a bit more time to ponder my plight. I spent another anxious day waiting on some news from the medicos as to how they were going to treat me.  Finally I was confronted by a young doctor who told me my hip joint wasn't the usual size or shape which is understandable because I've been hopping on crutches for the last 47 years and the spare parts wouldn't fit.  It would be like fitting a square peg in a round hole, the best solution would be complete bed rest and let your hip joint heel of its own accord, probably up to 12 weeks non weight bearing, devastating news initially to me.

That will do for now, the story continues as I go from what started as a simple fractured hip to a critical care condition and admittance to the ICU ward.

What you need to know

Like any small business, if you rent a home you have customers — your tenants — and  there are laws you need to understand. 

You have to be aware of the property, the people, the paperwork and the processes, and as with any business, things keep changing, eg:

• smoke alarms are now compulsory in your rental home and you must fit the right type in the right places.
• all your new tenancy agreements must now include an insulation statement disclosing if there is insulation, where, what type and its condition — you must make all reasonable efforts to provide this information so tenants know what to expect.
• you will need ceiling and underfloor insulation, where reasonably practicable, by July 2019, although some exclusions could apply.

If you don’t comply you could face penalties of up to $4,000.

(Copied from MBIE article on there website)

HAVE WE GOT YOU THINKING?

Give us a call on (04) 563 6965 or email: dennis@taxman.co.nz or shawn@taxman.co.nz

Keep an eye out for February’s article!

TAX DATES TO REMEMBER

• 7th February . 2017 -  Terminal Tax Payment date for those not linked to a tax agent…
• 20th February . 2017 - Monthly employers PAYE payment… 
• 28th February. 2017 - Bi monthly GST Return for Dec/Jan 2017…