I lost my keys, what can I do?

It depends if you have lost all or just some of your keys.

In most leases that I have viewed have just a $10 charge for a lost key.

Paying the 10 bucks verses going to the hardware store to have one duplicated is the right way to go because many keys will have a “do not duplicate” engraving, therefore the guy at the hardware store can not duplicate it for you.

Also when you move out and hand in your keys, if the key doesn’t match the original you might have to pay the $10 anyway.

Depending on your lease if just one key is missing then the cost of replacing that key goes up a lot because landlord may need to re-key (recore) the unit for security reasons. 

Some dwelling insurance policies will cover the replacement of keys and locks only if theft has occurred, but will not cover it if you just lost your keys.

Most lease agreements will strictly forbid the tenant from changing the locks which totally makes sense since the owner may need to get in for maintenance reasons when the tenant is away.

Some leases allow for rekeying as long as the owner/manager receives a key.