Chapter 01Records · System
Keys, codes and remotes: change them on move-in day, then log who has each one
Do it in this order. Count and test every key, remote and code card you were handed. Have the locks changed: the Hayward, California, police department says to do that whenever you move. Clear the garage opener, add back the remotes you keep and set new codes. Only then cut copies, from the new keys. Write down who has each key and where each code is kept, and keep the spare with someone you trust, not under the mat.
Source: Hayward Police, Home Security Tips, checked October 11, 2026; Chamberlain Group support, How To Erase Remote Control And Keypad Access, checked October 11, 2026; King County Sheriff, Be a good neighbor, checked October 11, 2026.
- Hold on the LEARN button to erase a Chamberlain or LiftMaster openerAbout 6 s Chamberlain Group support, How To Erase Remote Control And Keypad Access, October 11, 2026
- Where King County's sheriff says a spare key should not go4 spots King County Sheriff, Be a good neighbor, October 11, 2026
- In four full sets for a home with four locks16 keys Counted from this page
Do it, skip it or get help
Count, clear and log it yourself
Counting and testing keys, clearing the garage opener, setting new codes and keeping the list take an evening and the manuals that came with the house. Nobody else knows who you lent a key to.
Skip the extra copies
Cut the sets the count says you need and stop there. Every copy cut "just in case" is one more key the list has to track, and one more that can end up somewhere you forgot about.
Get a locksmith or the landlord for the locks
Changing or rekeying a lock is a job for a locksmith, or for the landlord if you rent. An opener from another brand, a smart lock or an alarm panel follows its own manual or the company that made it. This page keeps the list and the order; it does not choose or fit locks.
The steps, in order
Count and test what you were handed
Lay out every key, fob, garage remote and code card. Try each key in each lock and set aside any that fit nothing. Write down how many of each you got; renters hand these same ones back at move-out.
Have ready: Every key and remote from the seller or landlord
Have the locks changed
Hayward's police department says to have the locks changed whenever you move to a new home. Book a locksmith, or have the locks rekeyed. If you rent, ask the landlord first and keep the answer in writing.
Have ready: The list of every lock: doors, garage entry, mailbox, gate, shed
Source: Hayward Police, Home Security Tips, checked October 11, 2026.
Clear the garage opener
Chamberlain names moving into a new house as a reason to erase remotes. On its openers, hold the LEARN button on the motor unit until the light goes out, about 6 seconds. Every old remote and keypad is gone. Other brands use other buttons, so check your manual.
Have ready: A step stool and the opener manual
Source: Chamberlain Group support, How To Erase Remote Control And Keypad Access, checked October 11, 2026.
Add back what you keep, then set new codes
Program each remote, the outside keypad and the buttons in your car again, as Chamberlain says to after an erase. Then give the keypad, any smart lock and any alarm a new code of your own, from that device's manual or app.
Have ready: The remotes you kept, both cars and the device manuals
Source: Chamberlain Group support, How To Erase Remote Control And Keypad Access, checked October 11, 2026.
Count the sets and the copies
The key log tool adds people who carry keys, sets you lend out and spares at home, then takes away the keys you have for each lock. What is left is the number of copies to cut.
Have ready: The new keys and a head count
Cut copies from the new keys
Copies come last, so none are cut from a key that is about to stop working. Take a key the lock came with to the counter, not a copy of a copy.
Have ready: One original key per lock
Write down who has each one
One row per key, remote and code: what it opens, who has it, the date it went out and the date it came back. For a code, write where it is kept, such as a password manager, and leave the code itself off.
Have ready: The printed key log
Put the spare with someone you trust
King County's sheriff says to keep spare keys with a trusted neighbor or a nearby shopkeeper, not under a doormat or planter, on a ledge or in the mailbox. Write the spare on the list like any other key.
Have ready: A neighbor who said yes
Source: King County Sheriff, Be a good neighbor, checked October 11, 2026.
Tag the rings without your address
Sunriver's police in Oregon say key rings are among the hardest lost items to return. Their advice: put your phone number on the ring, and never your name or street address. Use colored caps to tell the locks apart.
Have ready: Colored key caps and a phone-number tag
Source: Sunriver Service District, Lost and Found Property, checked October 11, 2026.
Read the list once a year
Check every row against the keys that are really out there. Ask for the ones you forgot about, cross off what came back and change any code a former roommate, sitter or contractor still knows.
Have ready: The log and the review page
Print the working copy
One page, black and white, US Letter. Tick the boxes and write the dates in.
- Every key, fob and remote laid out
- Each key tested in each lock
- Count written on the move-in record
- Porch, planters and ledges checked for keys
- Lock change or rekey booked
What goes wrong
Copies cut before the locks changed
Keys cut on move-in day from the seller's keys stop working the day the locksmith comes. Change first, then cut.
The car buttons get left out
Clearing the opener wipes the buttons in your own car as well as the handheld remotes. Chamberlain says to program back each remote and keypad you want to keep; add the car to that list.
Source: Chamberlain Group support, How To Erase Remote Control And Keypad Access, checked October 11, 2026.
The old hidden key is still out there
A past owner's key under the mat or in a flowerpot opens the door as well as yours does. Hayward's police say never to leave one there. Walk the porch, the planters and the door ledges on day one.
Source: Hayward Police, Home Security Tips, checked October 11, 2026.
The code is written on the list
A log that shows the garage code is as good as a key to whoever picks it up. Write where the code is kept and leave it at that.
The list stops at move-in day
The sitter keeps the key after the trip and the contractor never hands one back. If the list only shows move-in day, nobody knows who still has a key.
When the steps change
Renting
The locks and the opener belong to the landlord. Count and test what you were given, write the number on your move-in record and ask in writing before changing a lock, clearing an opener or adding a smart lock. The log is still yours to keep.
Apartment or condo with a building fob
The building manages the entry fob and the mailbox lock. Put them on the list with how many you were given and who has one, and ask the office how to replace a lost one before it happens.
Smart lock or keypad with a code per person
Give each person their own code in the app and put a row on the log for each one: whose it is, the date it was set and the date it was removed. The code stays in the app, and the names go on the log.
Sharing a house
Each housemate gets a row per key they carry. When someone moves out, cross off the keys they hand back that same day and change any code they knew.
Tips and tricks
- Tip 01
Keep the log with the house records
File it in the binder next to the appliance log and the home inventory, so there is one place to look when a sitter asks for a key or a code.
- Tip 02
Color the caps by lock
Blue for the front, green for the back, yellow for the garage entry. The list says which color is which, so a loose key can be matched without trying every door.
- Tip 03
Hand out keys by name
A key goes to a person, not to "the cleaner". Writing the first name makes it easy to ask for that key back.
- Tip 04
Ask for keys back when the job ends
Sitters, dog walkers and contractors finish on a date. Put that date on the row and ask for the key the same week.
- Tip 05
Take down the old codes
After setting new codes, peel off any code card taped inside a cabinet and cross out codes written in the opener manual.
What we would do
Count tonight, change this week, copy last
Tonight, lay out every key and remote, test them and type the counts into the key log. This week, book the lock change and clear the garage opener, then add back the remotes, the keypad and both cars and set new codes. Cut copies after that, fill in who has each one, hand the spare to a neighbor and put next year's read-through on the calendar.
The tools and guides in this system
Chapter 01Keys, codes and remotes logCount the full sets of house keys you need, the copies to cut for each lock and the garage remotes to get, then print a log of who has what.Open the tool
Practical noteWhat to change on move-in day: locks, garage opener and codesNew house, old keys. Here's the order to work in on move-in week: count what you got, change the locks, clear the garage opener, reset codes, then cut copies.Read the guide
Practical noteWho has a key to your house? Tracking sitters, neighbors and contractorsSpare keys drift: a neighbor, the dog sitter, a contractor who never gave it back. Keep one list of who has which key, when it went out and when it came back.Read the guide- Chapter 01All records toolsPrintable home records with a calculator behind each one: appliance and warranty log, HVAC filter sizes and change dates.Open the chapter
Questions
Should I change the locks after buying a house?
The Hayward, California, police department says to have the locks changed whenever you move to a new home. You have no way to know how many copies the past owners or their contractors made. A locksmith can change or rekey them. If you rent, ask the landlord first.
Source: Hayward Police, Home Security Tips, checked October 11, 2026.
How do I reset the garage door opener after moving in?
On Chamberlain and LiftMaster openers, hold the LEARN button on the motor unit until its light goes out, about 6 seconds. That erases every remote and keypad. Then program back each remote, the keypad and your car buttons. Other brands use other steps, so check the opener's manual.
Source: Chamberlain Group support, How To Erase Remote Control And Keypad Access, checked October 11, 2026.
Where should I keep a spare house key?
With someone you trust. King County's sheriff says a trusted neighbor or a nearby shopkeeper, and not under a doormat or planter, on a ledge or in the mailbox. Put the spare on the key list like any other key.
Source: King County Sheriff, Be a good neighbor, checked October 11, 2026.
What goes on a key log for a house?
One row per key, remote and code: what it opens, how many there are, who has each one, the date it went out and the date it came back. For a code, write where it is kept, never the code itself.
Should I put my address on my key ring?
No. Sunriver's police in Oregon say not to put your name or street address on your keys or key ring, and to attach a phone number instead so a finder can call you.
Source: Sunriver Service District, Lost and Found Property, checked October 11, 2026.
The primary source
Home Security Tips, City of Hayward Police Department (California). Checked October 11, 2026.
The steps on this page follow this source. Other figures cite their own source where they appear.
Other sources on this page
- How To Erase Remote Control And Keypad Access, The Chamberlain Group (Chamberlain and LiftMaster garage door openers). Checked October 11, 2026.
- Be a good neighbor, King County Sheriff's Office (Washington). Checked October 11, 2026.
- Lost & Found Property, Sunriver Service District (Sunriver Police, Oregon). Checked October 11, 2026.
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