ECA (as in eca-vaud.ch)

Finance, Taxes, Banking, Insurance and Retirement
1
Quick and simple question: what is this ECA (etablissment cantonal d'assurance) and is its insurance obligatory? I keep getting mail from them and I'm not sure what I should do with it.

2
It's mandatory insurance against fire and floods provided by the canton of Vaud and it's rather cheap (depending on the insured value of course). You need one per household, I suggest you fill in the form they gave you ASAP

3
Yes, it's mandatoy.

The amount you declare to them should be the same than for your RC. In case of accident, they cross check.

4
Yes it is mandatory but it has nothing to do with your RC despite the insurtance companies trying to make you think it does, and by the way, it's not the RC part it is the theft/damage to household contents.

With fire (ECA) you need to insure everything, your shirts, your underwear your kitchen table as in a fire they are all destroyed.

With household contents you need to consider if a burglar would steal certain things, such as your kitchen table. Sur ehe may damage them but this then comes down to how much risk you are ready to take to pay a far lower household insurance policy.

The risks for theft/damage of household contenets are very different to those of fire !

5
Thanks for the help, folks! Previously I had a short-term apartment, which the landlord already had insured so I was told to skip the ECA insurance.

I'll fill in the form and send it off, then. Hopefully it's not too late! :O

6

It's for household content too. It's cheap. Something like 50 centimes for each 1000 francs of value. Per year.

7
Hi

Can you clarify something for me? I'm trying to make valuation for ECA and I have their booklet. In there, 4.5 pieces apartment with 3 persons living in it is valued for around 120k franks. Is this an estimation of apartment value (i.e. kitchen cupboards, oven, fridge, parquet, wooden floor wall mortar etc, in general things I was given by landlord while moving in) or only my things which I bought after moving in? If the latter, it will be of value around 1500 francs plus my computers, skis, skigear, bikes etc, all of value around 5k. Will they accept valuation for 6.5k franks or will they consider it suspiciously low? Thanks for help.

8
Source

Art. 34

1

Si les valeurs ou les quantités indiquées dans la police paraissent trop élevées ou trop faibles, l'Etablissement peut les faire

modifier.

If the values or the quantities indicated in the policy seem too high or too low, they can be modified.

9
And what does it mean? They will decide how much my things are worth?

10
Contact ECA and ask them directly.

11
It's cheap anyways. So count literally everything. Imagine your whole place was burned down and you only possessed the clothes you stood in. You have to replace everything - and if you have wife and kids too. It adds up.

I think my number was something like 280k. We have 5 bedrooms and approx 240sqm. The insurance was something like 200chf from memory, guessing but certainly not over 500.

I was directly told it was nothing to do with the household contents insurance where in reality a thief would not steal your fridge or your panties or your doormat Hence my ECA figure was higher.

12
Tongue firmly in cheek....

280k is the cost of replacing everything; including the wife and kids????!

13
Well spotted, that freudian slip .. Of course that figure hardly scratches the surface of the running costs of wife and kids :-/

14
Of course you need to fill in the forms etc. but as ECA is mandatory you cannot be not-insured so I have learned. You would need to discuss with them if you have had a fire but they will pay in the end.

It is cheap so you better count everything indeed.

15
The ECA insurance is obigatory, but inexpensive compared to other companies. I have always found the ECA staff to be extremely helpful, and last year they reimbursed a percentage of the profit they had made the previous year by reducing the annual premium to their clients! Get in touch as soon as possible - it's in your interest to do so!

16
Filled the forms. Will send tomorrow.

17
New question, hopefully someone can help. I don't speak/read french so am finding the information about ECA very confusing.

I am subletting a furnished apartment in Morges, I am here for 3.5 months (I leave in 4.5 weeks). I have just received a 2nd letter from ECA and through google translate realized this is something I have to sign up for.

I assumed that since I was subletting an apartment it would already be covered under the current tenant or owner? Am I wrong?

My own belongings add up to a 15 kg suitcase full of clothes and a 7 year old laptop. Do I just cover that or do I have to cover all the furniture that is already covered under someone else's name?

I will be back living in Vaud next year (in another sublet apartment) so I want to do everything right but am assuming when I come back I have to pay again. Or does it cover regardless of where you move to?

Thank you!

Also if anyone has an english version of the form could you please send it, someone did put it on here a few years ago but the link no longer works.

18
I can't answer your question specifically.. But when I arrived 4 years ago I had a few questions for ECA, I sent them an email in bad French and they replied in English..

My understanding is that the purpose of ECA is to insure "your own stuff" against natural disasters or fire or flood or earthquake etc.. So I doubt you would have to cover stuff which you don't own.

Drop them an email, apologise for your bad french and hope you get a reply in English.

Edit : My bill for a fairly large place full of stuff is only about 100chf .. Just to give you a clue on cost.

19
That is really helpful thanks. I didn't see an email on the letter but found it on their website so have sent a message. I am happy it isn't too expensive (unlike everything else!).

20
I (PhD student in a rented property) only pay 20 CHF a year for an insured value of 35000 CHF. Seemed like a steal. I also lived with a landlady briefly, but then she had to acknowledge to ECA that MY stuff could be covered under HER insurance policy. Perhaps something you can also do with the main lender?