Lost your house keys? Whether to change the locks, and what's quicker

Can someone connect these keys to your door?

This is the only question that really matters. Keys on their own are anonymous. Keys with any of these are not:

• An address tag, a mailbox key with a unit number, or a fob for your building.
• A wallet, a purse or a bag with ID or mail inside.
• A garage remote. Anyone who drives around your neighbourhood pressing it can find the door it opens.
• A car key or fob. The car's registration is often in the glovebox, and the car is usually parked at home.
• Lost close to home. Dropped on your street, at the community club down the block, or at the bus stop on your corner.
• Stolen, not lost. If someone took them, assume they know where you live.

If any of those apply, treat the keys as a working copy of your house key in a stranger's pocket, and rekey.

If none apply, say the keys came off your ring somewhere at The Forks or on a ski hill in another province, the chance of someone matching them to your door is small. Rekeying is still the only way to be sure.

What's the difference between rekeying and changing the locks?

Both make the lost keys useless. Rekeying is usually the smaller job, because nothing comes off the door except the cylinder. We go deeper on this in rekey or replace your locks.

Keys lost with ID, a garage remote or a car fob: what else do you deal with?

A lost key ring is rarely just one key. Go through what was on it:

1. House keys: rekey every exterior door those keys opened, including the door from the attached garage into the house, which people often forget.
2. Garage remote: clear the opener's memory and re-pair the remotes you still have. Change the keypad code.
3. Car key or fob: a dealer or locksmith can program new keys and remove the lost one from the car's memory on most vehicles.
4. Mailbox, shed, storage locker: call your building manager or rekey them too.
5. A safe or lockbox key: if the key to a home safe was on the ring, the safe deserves attention too. Our guide on a safe that won't open explains the override key and what the maker can do.
6. Work keys: tell your employer. Business keys are their call, and they'll want to know.

If ID was in a lost wallet, report the lost cards to the issuers. Winnipeg police also take online reports of lost property, including keys and identification (WPS online reporting).

What if the keys were stolen in a break-in?

Then it's not a decision, it's a priority. Rekey or change every lock those keys open, the same day if you can. Our guide on what to do after a break-in covers reporting, insurance and securing the door that was forced.

Locked out right now instead?

If you're standing outside without a key, use the call or text button on this page and we'll get you in first. You can decide about rekeying once you're inside and warm.

How do you make sure this doesn't happen again?

A good spare plan saves the next panic:

• A trusted neighbour or family member holds a spare. Not under the mat, not in the fake rock, not on top of the door frame.
• A lockbox on the property with a code you change now and then.
• A keypad or smart deadbolt, so a lost key doesn't lock you out at all. Check that any model you choose is rated for the cold first.
• A bare ring: no address tag, no name, no mail. If it says anything, make it a phone number for "if found", not where you live.

What should you have ready for a rekey?

Rekeying happens at your door. Have every key you still have, so we can check them against each lock, and know which doors you want on the new key. Many people take the chance to set the front, back and garage entry doors to one key while we're there. If you lost your keys and anything could lead to your door, book it soon. See rekey your locks.

The printable move-in lock checklist below doubles as a lost-keys checklist: every door, every key, every remote and every code in one pass.