Our neighbour recently removed a section (about 20%) of our shared fence without informing us beforehand. I’ve reached out multiple times to ask about their plans for replacing it, but haven’t received any response. When I tried to speak with them in person as they were getting into their car, they ignored me and left without acknowledging me. It’s now been several days, and the fence has not been replaced.

The section they removed is fully covered by mature cedar hedges on our side, so we still have privacy. From my perspective, the fence isn't even necessary in that spot. I'm happy to leave it as is, but I want to make sure there are no unforeseen issues—legal or practical—that could come up if the fence remains down long term.

Some context:

• I live in Vancouver, BC
• This fence runs along our shared property line.
• I bought this house from my uncle, who had always maintained the fence himself. My uncle says the neighbour has never contributed to repairs.
• When I moved in, they claimed our cedar hedge was pushing on the fence, but I showed them the hedges wasn't even touching the fence.
• At one point, my dad braced the leaning fence (on his own time), and the neighbour assumed he was a contractor and asked me to bring him back to “fix it properly.” Once I said he was helping for free, they stopped the conversation.
• I’ve personally patched other parts of the fence over the years.

Last week, they asked us to split the bill for a full fence replacement. I told them we didn’t have the budget and that, from our side, the fence looks fine—especially since our hedge covers it completely. I also asked for more details about the work being done (type of materials, post installation, etc.) but got no reply. A few days later, they just removed the fence section behind the hedge without further communication.

We don’t have pets, neither do they, and we’re not worried about privacy. My kids will likely play in the yard when they’re older, but the hedge is dense enough that toys or balls won’t go through.

We plan to live here for decades and I’d like to keep things peaceful with our neighbours—within reason. So my question is: Is it okay to leave the fence down permanently if both sides technically still have privacy? Could it create issues in the future (e.g. property line disputes, expectations for fencing, or bylaw problems)?

Thanks in advance!