Farmhouse rental programs are a common method used by many rural Australian towns to attract new residents to live in their communities. The programs generally involve offering abandoned and often semi-derelict farmhouses for rent at a nominal price, often $1 per week. The towns that offer such programs have generally undergone a significant decline in population. As a result, essential services for the area such as education and health are removed or reduced, creating a further, spiralling, population decline. By attracting new residents, the communities hope to reverse their demographic spiral.