I Just Moved and Need Extra Keys — The Fastest Options, What They Cost, and the Step Most People Skip (2026)

I Just Moved and Need Extra Keys — The Fastest Options, What They Cost, and the Step Most People Skip (2026)

As of September 2026, the fastest way to get extra copies of an ordinary house key is a self-service key-duplication kiosk or a hardware-store key counter — a basic mechanical copy commonly runs about two to six dollars and takes a couple of minutes, no appointment needed. If you want the keys brought to you, a mobile locksmith is the fastest door-to-door option but starts at a trip charge rather than a per-key price, commonly in the range of thirty-five to a hundred dollars before any cutting.

That is the direct answer. Here is the part that the question usually hides, and it matters more than the price of the copies: if you have just taken possession of a home, copying the key you were handed is probably the wrong first errand. You have no way to know how many working copies of that key already exist — the previous occupant, their family, an agent, a cleaner, a contractor, a neighbor who watered the plants. Rekeying your exterior locks changes the pins inside the hardware you already own so the old keys stop working, and it is almost always cheaper than replacing the locks. Once that is done, the spare keys you make are the only ones in circulation.

This guide covers both halves. First the four routes for getting keys cut and what each genuinely can and cannot do, then the rekey question, then the specific situations that stop duplication cold — restricted keyways, landlords, HOAs — and a short checklist to run before you leave the house.

The four routes, and what each one actually does

There are only four places a key gets made, and they do not compete with each other so much as cover different keys.

A self-service kiosk. These sit in supermarkets, pharmacies and home-improvement stores. You insert your key, the machine scans the blade profile, picks a matching blank, and grinds an identical shape. For a plain edge-cut house key, a padlock key or a mailbox key that is genuinely the entire job, and the machine does it cheaply and well. The catch is coverage — the blank library is limited to common residential profiles, and the machine simply refuses anything it does not recognize.

A hardware-store or home-center key counter. Same mechanical process, wider blank library, and a person checking the result. This is the route for a slightly unusual residential profile, a worn key, or when you want someone to look at the copy and say yes, that will work. Prices run a couple of dollars higher than a kiosk, and counters tend to be honest about refusing what they cannot do properly, which saves you a second trip.

A mobile locksmith. A van, a technician, and a key machine that comes to your driveway. This is the only route that can rekey your locks, originate a key when you have none, or handle automotive work, and the only one that works at nine at night. You pay for the visit, not just the key — expect a service-call or trip charge before labor, and higher after hours. For move-in work it is usually the right call precisely because the visit does several jobs at once.

A locksmith shop. A storefront with a full blank library, restricted-keyway authorizations, high-security equipment and automotive tooling. Slower than a kiosk and more expensive per key, but this is where the keys nobody else can cut get cut. If your key says DO NOT DUPLICATE, has a manufacturer name stamped on the head, or belongs to a building system, this is your destination.

We covered the kiosk-versus-locksmith line in more depth in the kiosk cost comparison, and sorted the whole landscape by key type in what each automated key copying service can do. This article is the move-in version of the question.

The comparison, route by route

Every band above is a commonly cited range rather than a quote. Blade profile, region, hardware brand and time of day all move the number, which is exactly why a shop that gives you a firm figure on the phone after asking what you have is worth more than one that quotes before asking.

What actually decides the price of a key

Three questions decide whether your key costs three dollars or three hundred, and they are worth understanding before you drive anywhere.

Is it purely mechanical? A plain house key does one thing — it lifts pins to a shear line. Copying it is metal removal, nothing else. That is the cheap case, and any of the four routes handles it.

Is the keyway restricted or patented? High-security and patented systems use blanks that are not sold on the open market, often with a second layer of security machined into the key such as a side-milled track or a moving element. A copy commonly costs fifteen to forty dollars or more, has to come from an authorized dealer, and requires you to prove you are entitled to it. That is not obstruction — the entire security value of the system is that a stranger cannot walk into a store and copy the key.

Does a vehicle have to recognize it? If yes, you have left key cutting entirely. Nearly every car built since the late 1990s carries an immobilizer, and a perfectly cut blade will not start the engine unless the chip inside is programmed to that specific vehicle — a diagnostic-tool job done with the car present and proof of ownership in hand, commonly running into the low hundreds and considerably more for a proximity fob. We explained why the programming rather than the cutting is the cost in how key machines handle smart keys, and the no-working-key version of the problem in how emergency key duplication works around the clock.

The step most movers skip — rekeying

This is the part of the answer nobody searches for and most people need.

Rekeying does not replace your hardware. A locksmith removes the cylinder from the lock you already own, swaps the internal pin stack for a different combination, and cuts you keys to match the new one. The lock looks identical afterward, works identically, and no longer opens for the key the previous occupant had. It is commonly quoted at somewhere around fifteen to forty dollars per cylinder plus the service call, so a typical run of three to six exterior openings usually lands in the low-to-mid hundreds all in.

Compare that with replacement. New exterior hardware of comparable quality commonly runs sixty to two hundred and fifty dollars or more per door before installation labor. Replacement makes sense when the hardware is genuinely worn out, when you want a different finish or function, or when you are upgrading to a smart lock anyway. If the locks work fine and you simply do not trust the keys, rekeying achieves the security outcome for a fraction of the cost.

Two details are worth asking for by name while the technician is there:

Key them alike. If your front, back, garage side door and gate currently take four different keys, they can usually be pinned to one key during the same visit at little or no extra labor — because the cylinders are already out. Ask for it explicitly. It is the single change that most improves daily life in a new home, and it is much more annoying to arrange as a second visit.

Ask how many keys are included and what extras cost. Most rekeys come with two keys. If you need five for a family, say so at the start of the visit rather than driving to a kiosk afterward.

There is one important exception. If you are renting, do not rekey anything without written permission from your landlord or property manager. In most leases it is a violation, and in a building on a master system a rekey can break the property's own access. Ask first, in writing, and let them arrange it if that is their policy.

When duplication is refused, and what you will be asked for

Sooner or later a move-in key errand hits one of these, and knowing which one saves an afternoon.

DO NOT DUPLICATE stamped on the bow. This carries no legal force on an ordinary keyway, but most kiosks and many counters will decline it as policy, and a professional shop will ask questions before cutting it. It usually indicates the key belongs to a system someone else controls.

A patented or restricted keyway. Here the refusal is structural. The blanks are controlled and only distributed to authorized dealers, so the store that wants to help you physically cannot. Expect to be sent to a named locksmith who holds that authorization.

A building, HOA or commercial master system. If the key came from a management office, the property controls the system. The shop will require written authorization from whoever holds it — commonly a signed request from the property manager or an authorization card issued when the system was set up — plus your photo ID.

What to bring for any restricted key. Photo identification, and proof that you live at or control the address — a lease, a deed, a closing document, or a recent utility bill in your name is what shops typically accept. A locksmith who does not ask for any of this is a locksmith who would also cut your key for a stranger. From the shop side, this verification is a routine and slightly delicate phone conversation, and it is why a good intake asks about the key before anyone drives anywhere.

For general consumer guidance on service pricing and avoiding deceptive operators, the Federal Trade Commission publishes plain-language material, and the Associated Locksmiths of America is the trade body for professional standards in this industry.

Smart locks and keypads as a move-in alternative

A large share of people asking this question end up not making keys at all, and for a move-in it is a reasonable choice.

A keypad deadbolt removes the spare-key problem outright — you give a code to the dog walker instead of a key, and you delete it when they stop coming. Most models keep a physical key override, which you should insist on for a primary entry door, because a dead battery on a keyless-only lock is a genuine lockout. A smart lock adds app control, temporary codes and a log of who entered when, which is useful in a house where several people come and go.

Three practical cautions. Check that the lock fits your door — thickness, backset, bore, and whether the frame is metal — because a returned smart lock is a wasted evening. If you buy several, ask whether the physical override keys can be keyed alike to your other doors. And know where the override key lives, off the property, before you need it.

Smart locks change the shape of the calls locksmiths receive too, which we wrote about separately in smart locks and keypad service calls.

The thirty-second checklist before you leave the house

1. Count the exterior openings. Front, back, side, garage service door, gate, shed, mailbox. People make three copies of the front door and forget the back one every single time.
2. Check whether they already share a key. Try one key in every lock. If they are already keyed alike, your errand just got much simpler.
3. Look at the head of the key. A manufacturer name, a stamped code, DO NOT DUPLICATE, or an unusual profile means a kiosk will not help you.
4. Decide the rekey question first. If you own the property and just took possession, book the rekey and get your spares cut during the same visit. If you rent, ask your landlord in writing.
5. Bring photo ID and proof of address if any key looks restricted.
6. Ask for a total on the phone, not a starting-at — trip charge, per-cylinder rekey, keys included, extra keys, and any evening rate.

A clarification, because the names collide

TheKeyBot is not a key machine and does not cut, copy or program keys. It is the AI phone system that locksmith businesses, dealerships and home-service companies use so that their calls get answered. If you found this page while looking for a machine that makes keys, the sections above are the useful part, and a kiosk, counter or local locksmith is your destination.

The connection is real, though, and it is why this article exists. Everything above becomes a phone call: can you copy this key, can you rekey four doors tomorrow, what does that cost, do I need to be there. Those calls arrive in the evening after people finish moving boxes, and the shops that answer them get the work. You can hear how that sounds by calling the live demo line at +1 (716) 350-6391 — it is a working AI receptionist, and it will not sell you a key.

For the shops reading this from the other side of the counter, the move-in caller is one of the better inbound leads in residential locksmithing — high intent, multi-cylinder, often same-week, and frequently carrying a smart-lock question with it. Losing them is a coverage problem rather than a pricing problem, and it happens two ways: the call lands while the technician is under a dashboard, or three land in the same ten minutes and only one gets picked up. The arithmetic of the second is in the busy-signal problem, and what becomes of the callers you miss is in why most lockout callers never leave a voicemail. The service overview is on the locksmith services page, the shop-side product overview on the locksmiths page, and the entry plan is KeyBot Lite at $149 a month with 100 calls included. You can also have the AI call you back as your own business in about thirty seconds at the instant demo.

The bottom line

If you just moved and you need extra keys, the mechanical answer is simple — a kiosk or a hardware counter will copy an ordinary house key for a few dollars in a couple of minutes, a shop will handle anything unusual for a modest minimum, and a mobile locksmith will come to you for a trip charge. The answer that actually matters is the one you did not ask for: unless you rekey the exterior locks you just inherited, you are duplicating a key whose copies are already out in the world with people you have never met. Rekeying is commonly fifteen to forty dollars per cylinder plus the visit, it reuses the hardware you own, it can key all your doors alike in the same hour, and it is the only step in this entire article that changes who can open your front door. Do that first, get your spares cut during the same visit, and then use a kiosk for the cheap extras forever after. If you rent, ask your landlord in writing before touching anything, and if a key is stamped or restricted, bring photo ID and proof of address and expect to be asked for both.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fastest way to get extra house keys after moving?

A self-service key-duplication kiosk or a hardware-store key counter is the fastest route for an ordinary house key — usually two to fifteen minutes with no appointment, at a cost of roughly two to ten dollars per copy. Take one key from each lock you actually need copied and count the doors first, because most people duplicate the front door and forget the back one. If you want keys brought to you or you need locks rekeyed at the same time, a mobile locksmith is the faster overall option even though it starts at a trip charge.

Should I copy the keys I was given or rekey the locks?

If you own the home and have just taken possession, rekey first and then copy the new key. You cannot know how many copies of the old key exist with previous occupants, agents, cleaners or contractors, and rekeying changes the pins inside your existing hardware so those keys stop working. It is commonly fifteen to forty dollars per cylinder plus the service call, which is far less than replacing the locks, and all your exterior doors can usually be keyed alike during the same visit. If you rent, get written permission from your landlord first, because rekeying is often a lease violation.

Why will a key machine refuse to copy my key?

Because the key is restricted, patented, stamped DO NOT DUPLICATE, or belongs to a building or HOA master system that someone else controls. High-security blanks are only distributed to authorized dealers, so a kiosk or general counter physically cannot make the copy regardless of willingness. A professional shop can, but it will ask for photo identification and proof that you live at or control the address, and for a building system it will require written authorization from the property manager.

Can a key kiosk copy my car key?

Usually not. Nearly every vehicle built since the late 1990s has an immobilizer, meaning the key carries a chip that must be programmed to your specific car before the engine will start, and a cut blade with no valid chip will turn but not start the vehicle. Smart proximity fobs have no blade to scan at all. Those jobs need an automotive locksmith or a dealer with the vehicle present and proof of ownership, and commonly run into the low hundreds.

How much does key coverage cost for the locksmith shop answering these calls?

KeyBot Lite is $149 per month with 100 calls included and 50 cents per minute after that, no contract, with the first 5 answered calls free on a 7-day trial. The full platform with live quoting, booking and dispatch is $500 per month for Core with 500 AI minutes, $750 for Pro with 1,000 minutes, and $1,200 for Elite with 2,500 minutes, each with a 14-day free trial. Full plan details are at https://www.thekeybot.com/pricing.

Does TheKeyBot make keys?

No. TheKeyBot cuts no keys, programs no fobs and operates no kiosks — it is the AI phone system locksmith shops, dealerships and home-service businesses use so their calls get answered around the clock in English and Spanish. If you need a key made, a kiosk, a hardware counter or a local locksmith is your destination. If you run the shop, you can hear the receptionist answer on the live demo line at +1 (716) 350-6391.