Lost House Keys in Newmarket: Rekey, Replace, or Do Nothing
Not every lost key is a security problem. Some genuinely are. The difference comes down to whether anyone can connect that key to your front door.
Quick answer
If you have lost house keys in Newmarket, the question is whether the key can be linked to your address. Keys lost with ID, a fob, or an address tag, or lost close to home, should be treated as compromised and the locks rekeyed. A key dropped anonymously far from home rarely needs any action. Rekeying a whole house runs about $140 to $260.
Losing house keys in Newmarket sets off a specific kind of low-grade dread. Somebody out there might have a key to your front door, and there is no way to know. That is the honest starting point, so the useful thing this page does is give you a way to judge the actual risk instead of guessing, and then explain what each of the three responses costs.
Here is the short version. A key on its own, dropped somewhere with no connection to you, is not a meaningful threat. Nobody is walking Newmarket trying a found key in doors. A key lost together with anything identifying, or lost within a few streets of the house, is a different matter entirely, and the locks should be dealt with the same day. Everything in between is a judgement call, and the section below walks through it.
Rekeying and lock changes are done at the door, seven days a week, with typical arrival to a Newmarket address in 20 to 30 minutes. If you are also standing outside because that key was your only one, that part is covered on the house lockout page and both jobs get done on the same visit.
The Decision: Is This Actually a Security Problem?
Work through these. Two or more yes answers and you should be rekeying today.
- Was anything with your name or address attached to the ring? A luggage tag, a work fob, a car remote with a plate-linked dealer tag, a gym card, a library card.
- Was your wallet, purse or bag taken rather than misplaced? A theft that included keys is the highest-risk version of this, because whoever has them also has your address.
- Did you lose them within walking distance of the house? A key dropped on your own street, in the Upper Canada Mall parking lot, at the Newmarket GO station, or at the Ray Twinney Complex is far more findable-and-usable than one lost at a hotel in another province.
- Was there a car key or fob on the same ring, with the car parked at or near your home? Somebody now has both the vehicle and, potentially, the address it lives at.
- Do you rent, and does the key open a shared entry as well as your own unit? That changes who else is affected and who needs to be told.
- Has there been a change of circumstances at home, such as a separation, a former tenant, a contractor who was given a key, or an ex-housekeeper?
If none of that applies and you lost a plain key somewhere anonymous, the reasonable answer is genuinely to do nothing except get a spare cut. That is not the answer most locksmith websites give, but it is the true one, and paying $200 for peace of mind you already had is not a purchase we push.
One thing worth doing either way, and it is free: check that your exterior doors are actually being deadbolted rather than left on the knob latch. A large share of Newmarket break-ins go through a door where the deadbolt was never thrown.
Rekey, Replace, or Leave It
These are the three options and they are not interchangeable.
Rekey the cylinders
The pins inside your existing locks are changed so the old key no longer works and a new key does. The hardware stays on the door. It is the right answer roughly eight times out of ten, and it is the cheapest of the three by a wide margin.
Replace the hardware
A new lock body goes on. Worth doing when the existing locks are worn out, when they are knob-only with no deadbolt, when the finish is failing, or when you want a higher grade than the builder fitted in 1998.
Upgrade while you are at it
If the locks are being touched anyway, this is the cheapest moment to move up to a grade 1 deadbolt, a restricted key that a hardware store cannot copy, or a keypad so nobody has to carry a key at all.
Do nothing, deliberately
A plain key lost far from home, with nothing identifying it, and no reason to think it was taken. Cut a spare and move on. Reassess if anything else goes missing.
The rekey-versus-replace question comes up on almost every call and there is a longer breakdown on the rekey or replace your locks page. The short rule: if the lock works properly and you are happy with it, rekey. If it is tired, mismatched, or too low a grade, replace.
How Rekeying Actually Works
It is a mechanical change to the pins, not a software update or a trick.
The cylinder comes out of the door
On a standard deadbolt that means two through-bolts and a set collar. Three or four minutes per door, less on a knob set.
The plug is removed with a follower
A cylindrical tool pushes the plug out of the housing while holding the top pins and springs in place, so nothing scatters across your porch.
New bottom pins go in to match a new key
A new key is chosen or cut, and bottom pins of the right heights are dropped into each chamber so they sit flush at the shear line for the new key and nowhere near it for the old one. Your old keys become useless the moment the plug goes back in.
Every cylinder is keyed alike and tested
All exterior cylinders are pinned to the same key, reassembled, refitted and cycled with the door open and closed. You end up with one key that opens the front, back, garage side door and any storm door.
That last point is the part most people did not know they could ask for. Newmarket houses commonly end up with three or four different keys because the front door, the back slider deadbolt and the garage entry were all fitted at different times by different people. Getting them all onto one key costs no more than rekeying them separately, and it is the difference between a tidy single key and a fistful of brass.
Cylinders that are too worn to hold a new pinning cleanly will be flagged rather than rekeyed and left to fail. That is a lock change rather than a rekey, and you will be shown why.
When Lost Keys Are a Same-Night Job
Some versions of this should not wait until the morning.
A stolen bag containing keys and ID is the clearest one. The address is known, the key is real, and the person holding both had intent. Rekey that night, and if the car keys went too, deal with the vehicle at the same time. A stolen handbag from a car parked in a driveway on a quiet Newmarket street is a scenario that has played out often enough to take seriously.
A separation or a tenant who did not return keys is the other common same-day case. Nothing was lost, but you no longer know how many copies exist or who holds them. Rekeying resolves that in an afternoon and costs less than one night of not sleeping about it.
A contractor key that was never returned after a renovation sits in the middle. Most are innocent. But a key that lived in an unlocked site trailer for six weeks has had a lot of hands near it, and the cost of a rekey is small enough that it is not worth the argument with yourself.
If you are not in the house because that key was your only one, the entry and the rekey are handled in one visit. Overnight and holiday work runs through the 24 hour locksmith service.
What It Costs After Losing Your Keys in Newmarket
Typical 2026 Newmarket ranges. Rekeying is priced per cylinder once a technician is on site, which is why doing all the doors at once is so much better value than doing one now and one next month.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Service call plus first cylinder rekeyed | $95 – $170 | Attendance, first lock rekeyed and a set of new keys |
| Each additional cylinder rekeyed, same visit | $25 – $55 | Per lock, all keyed alike to one key |
| Whole-house rekey, 4 to 6 cylinders | $140 – $260 | Front, back, garage entry and any storm or side door on one key |
| Same-night or overnight emergency rekey | $190 – $330 | Evenings, overnight, weekends and statutory holidays |
| New grade 2 deadbolt supplied and installed | $150 – $260 | Where the existing lock is worn or knob-only |
| Grade 1 or high-security cylinder upgrade, per door | $180 – $340 | Restricted keys that a hardware store cannot duplicate |
| Keypad or smart lock supplied and installed | $220 – $480 | No key to lose; codes changed by you at any time |
| Extra keys cut on site | $5 – $15 | Per key, cut from the new pinning |
If losing keys is a recurring theme in your household rather than a one-off, a keyless entry lock is worth pricing. A keypad on the main door with a mechanical key override on the back means you stop paying for this problem every couple of years.
Ranges are typical for Newmarket and the surrounding towns and are not a quote. Overnight, weekend and statutory holiday call-outs carry a premium. A firm total is confirmed on the phone before dispatch, including the number of cylinders, so there are no additions at the door.
Why Newmarket calls us first
Rekeying Across York Region
Lost-key rekeys are done throughout Newmarket and the surrounding towns. Cottage and lake properties around Keswick and Georgina see a run of these every summer, usually after a key goes into the water or into a bag that never came home.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to change my locks if I lost my house keys?
Not automatically. If the key was plain, lost somewhere anonymous, and nothing identifying was attached to it, the practical risk is very low and a spare key is all you need. Rekey when the key can be linked to your address, when it was stolen rather than misplaced, or when it was lost close to home.
What is the difference between rekeying and changing the locks?
Rekeying changes the pins inside the lock you already have, so the old key stops working and a new one starts. The hardware stays on the door and it costs $25 to $55 per cylinder during a visit. Changing the locks means new hardware, which makes sense when the existing locks are worn, low grade, or knob-only.
How much does it cost to rekey a whole house in Newmarket?
A typical four to six cylinder house runs $140 to $260 during normal hours, with every door keyed to one new key and a set of keys included. Overnight or holiday emergency rekeys run $190 to $330. A firm number is given on the phone once you say how many locks you have.
Can all my doors be put on one key?
Yes, and it costs no extra during a rekey. Front, back, garage entry, side door and any storm door with a keyed cylinder can all be pinned to the same key, provided the cylinders share a compatible keyway. Where they do not, a matching cylinder can be swapped in for the price of the hardware.
My keys were stolen with my wallet. What should I do first?
Treat it as urgent. The person has both your address and a working key. Report the theft, then get the exterior locks rekeyed the same day or night. If a car key or fob was on the ring, deal with the vehicle too, and move the car if it is parked where the address points to it.
How long does a rekey take?
About ten to fifteen minutes per cylinder once the technician is on site, so a typical Newmarket house with four exterior locks is done in under an hour including cutting keys and testing every door. Nothing is left disassembled and no drilling or door damage is involved.
Will the old keys definitely stop working?
Yes. Rekeying changes the physical pin heights inside the plug, so the old cuts no longer align at the shear line. There is no partial state and no way for an old key to work afterwards. Every cylinder is tested with both the new key and, where you still have one, an old key, so you can see it fail.
Should I switch to a keypad instead?
It is a fair option if keys go missing regularly, if you have teenagers, or if trades and cleaners need timed access. A keypad removes the lost-key problem and lets you change the code yourself in seconds. Keep a mechanical override on at least one door, and budget $220 to $480 supplied and installed.
Related locksmith services in Newmarket
Not Sure If You Need a Rekey?
Describe how the keys went missing and you will get a straight answer, including when the answer is that nothing needs doing. Call 866-820-1331 any hour. Same-day and same-night rekeys across Newmarket.
